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Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2015 


https://archive.org/details/marbleworkersmanOOunse 


MARBLE-WORKERS' " 


DESIGNED  FOR  THE  USE  OF 


MARBLE-WORKERS,  BUILDERS, 

AND 

OWNERS  OF  HOUSES. 


CONTAINING  PRACTICAL  INFORMATION  RESPECTING  MARBLES  IN 
general;     their    cutting,    working,   and    POLISHING  J 
VENEERING  OF   MARBLE  ;   PAINTING  UPON  AND  COLOR- 
ING OF  MARBLE  ;  MOSAICS  ;   COMPOSITION  AND  USE 

a       ^  ,  OF  vAR^IF'.CJAL>  MA:^3t.F^,  STUCCO;^'',  6'RNl?CiVr&^^  "         "  ^ 

'.  '  .      RECs:->PT^s,  ssewvTS,  ^Ti^!,;  ETO.   ■;   '    :   .   :  : 

Tr  c  ns'  c  t  ed      o  i.i  the  Fr  e  vc  4,,   ,  :> 
BY  Yi.  L.  BOOIH. 


WITH  AW  APPENDIX 
CONOERNINa  AMERICAN  MARBLES. 


NEW-YORK : 
SHELDON,  BLAKEMAN  &  CO. 
1856. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1856,  by 

SHELDON,  BLAKEMAN  &  CO., 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for 
the  Southern  District  of  New  York. 


t    t  c  c,    c    t  e  t  c 


J    J.  REED, 
TRIXTER  AND  STEREOTYPEB, 

16  Spruce-St.,i;r.  Y. 


PREFACE, 


The  art  of  the  Marble  worker  may  be  classed  among 
those  employments  possessing  the  most  interest  and  va- 
riety. It  demands  of  its  votary  the  knowledge  of  design, 
that  of  public  and  private  monuments,  and  of  the  natural 
history  of  Marbles.  It  demands,  also,  taste  and  patience, 
without  which  the  sculptor  will  be  a  bungler,  instead  of 
an  artist.  The  cotemporary  of  civilization,  his  hand  is 
found  in  the  works  of  every  century.  The  more  greatness 
has  belonged  to  nations,  the  more  occasions  had  the  artist 
to  celebrate  it ;  and  if  the  monuments  of  Greece  and  Rome 
had  not  been  pillaged  by  the  invasions  of  the  barbarians, 
their  sculptures  would  have  borne  witness  to  the  flour- 
ishing state  of  the  arts  upon  those  two  principal  points 
of  the  globe. 

Less  ambitious  at  present,  as  great  fortunes  are  rare,  the 
artist  must  employ  himself  upon  the  ordmary  wants  of  pri- 
vate life  ;  and  if  a  few  public  monuments  still  demand  his 
chisel,  these  are  but  exceptional,  and  in  large  cities.  This 
is  a  misfortune,  yet  it  is  not  without  its  compensations. 
These  large  fortunes,  by  their  infinite  subdivision,  have 
given  rise  to  that  middle  class,  who,  on  their  part,  take 
delight  in  what  they  call  conveniences,  and  demand  of  the 
Marble  worker  chimney-pieces,  tables,  vases,  tombs,  and 
funereal  monuments,  panelings,  pavements  more  or  less 


iv 


PREFACE. 


decorated  with  stone  and  Marble,  and  even  fountains,  flag 
and  curbstones,  frontings  for  the  outside  of  warehouses, 
and  counters,  slabs  and  fixtures  for  interiors.  In  this  respect' 
the  Marble  workers  of  our  times  differ  from  those  who 
only  devoted  themselves  to  churches  and  palaces.  It  is, 
therefore,  important  to  place  within  the  reach  of  skillful 
workmen  the  information  and  models  which  they  need, 
and  which  are  here  extracted  from  the  best  authorities, 
in  order  to  encourage  and  stimulate  good  taste. 

The  Manual  of  the  Marble  worker  has  been  long  de- 
manded. It  has  also  been  needed  by  those  proprietors 
who  themselves  desire  to  superintend  works  for  which 
they  do  not  choose  to  employ  an  architect.  They  will 
find  in  this  manual  all  the  information  necessary  to  in- 
struct them.  We  have  probably  invented  nothing,  but  we 
have  endeavored  to  make  the  most  complete  possible 
analysis  of  the  treatises  upon  ancient  and  modern  Marble 
working,  which  until  now  have  only  been  found  in  folios 
so  costly  and  bulky,  that  it  was  very  difficult  to  consult, 
and  almost  impossible  to  posses^  them. 

Our  little  volume,  on  the  contrary,  presenting  a  clear 
and  precise  text,  and  free  from  all  the  scientific  phrases 
which  perplex  the  subject,  will  be  in  the  possession  of 
every  person  who  seeks  information  respecting  the  art  of 
Marble  working.  It  will  be  understood  ;  it  will  excite 
comparative  ideas  ;  it  will  draw  forth  essays  ;  it  will  at- 
tract attention  to  this  art ;  and  our  object  will  be  gained 
if  it  restores  to  the  ateliers  of  the  Marble  workers  some 
of  the  emulation  which  they  seem  to  have  lost. 

It  is  divided  into  five  parts. 

The  first  treats  of  Marbles  in  general,  of  their  qualities 
beauties,  and  defects. 


PREFACE. 


V 


The  second  treats  of  the  use,  cutting,  and  polishing  of 
the  different  Marbles  which  are  in  commerce. 

The  third  describes  the  processes  designed  to  facilitate 
and  perfect  the  labor  of  the  workman. 

The  fourth  part  is  devoted  to  plated  Marbles,  stuccos, 
mosaic  paintings,  and  terraces — the  whole  being  the  prac- 
tical experience  of  the  most  skillful  Marble  workers. 

The  fifth  part  comprises  new  processes,  secrets,  recipes, 
an  essay  on  the  manufacture  of  toy  marbles,  and  various 
other  matters  pertaining  to  the  art. 

We  have  also  endeavored  to  enlighten  the  workmen 
respecting  their  true  interests,  and  to  warn  them  against 
the  mistaken  principles  which  sometimes  mislead  them, 
by  pointing  out  the  right  course,  and  inspiring  in  them^ 
as  well  as  in  us,  that  love  of  truth  and  commercial  integ- 
rity, without  which  no  industrial  establishment  will  ever 
gain  the  confidence  of  the  public  or  secure  honorable 
profits. 


TABLE  OF  C0M4;I;^<§Fv5^/ 


( 


PAGE. 


Alabaster   17 

Appendix — Concerning  American  Marbles   243 

Artificial  Marble   163 

"                and  Stuccos.   119 

Atelier  of  the  Marble  worker   115 

Breccias,  modern   30 

Cement,  universal   114 

Chimney-piece  in  malachite   218 

Chinese  Paintings,  unalterable   167 

Coloring  of  Marbles   31 

Coloring  of  Artificial  Marbles   228 

Crab,  the   84 

Crane,  the   83 

Defects  of  Marbles   32 

Designs  for  the  execution  of  works   215 

Different  varieties  of  Marbles   15 

Figures  in  relief  upon  Marbles  , . .  . .  227 

Granite   45 

Imitations  of  Marbles   119 

Imitations  of  Mosaics   205 

Jack-screw,  the   89 

Jasper   40 


viii  •  CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

Lapis   16 

Mastics   109 

Mastics  for  cementing  Marbles   112 

Masons'  Mastic  for  Cisterns,  etc   113 

Marbles  in  general   11 

Marble,  ancient  method  for  painting   221 

Marble,  Artificial   153 

Marble,  Artificial,  composition  of   155 

Marble,  Artificial,  coloring  of   228 

Marbles,  coloring  of.   31 

Marbles,  cleansing  of   200 

Marbles,  cutting,  working,  and  polishing  of   50 

Marbles,  defects  of   32 

Marbles,  different  varieties  of   15 

Marbles,  figures  in  relief  upon   227 

Marbles,  Imitations  of   119 

Marbles,  modern   20 

Marbles,  machinery  for  raising   91 

Marbles,  machinery  for  sawing  and  molding   102 

Marbles,  machinery  for  sculpturing  or  reducing   104 

Marbles,  manner  of  working   55 

Marbles,  toy,  manufacture  of.   192 

Marble  working,  ornamental   7i. 

Marbles,  painting  upon   140 

Marble,  turned   229 

Marble,  veneering  of   163 

Marbles,  workmanship  of    33 

Mosaics   62 

Mosaics  by  absorption   202 

Mosaics,  imitations  of   205 

Ornamental  Marble  work   72 


CONTENTS.  iX 

PAGE. 

Porphyries   16 

Porphyries  and  Granites   39 

Pozzolana   212 

Pumice  stone   213 

Preface   3 

Quartz   39 

Recipes,  various   201 

Sculptor,  the   72 

Sculpture  by  Acids   75 

Serpentine   16 

Setting  up  of  works   69 

Slabs  of  Marble,  composition  of.   160 

Slabs,  casting  of   161 

Slabs,  tannage  of.   163 

Stuccos   120 

Stuccos  and  Artificial  Marbles   119 

Stuccos,  moldings  in   137 

Stuccos,  pictures  in   228 

Tackle,  the   88 

Terraces,  Venetian   71 

Terraces,  preparation  of  area   173 

Terraces,  working  of  Marble  for....   178 

Terraces,  Venetian,  less  costly   188 

Turned  Marble   229 

Universal  Cement   114 

Veneering  upon  Marble   63 

Veneering  upon  Wood  and  Stone   63 

Vocabulary   232 

Winch,  the   8G 


OF  MARBLES  IN  GENERAL. 


SECTION  FIRST. 

OF  THE  FORMATION,  QUALITIES,  BEAUTIES,  AND  DEFECTS 
OF  MARBLE. 

§  L  Mabble,  accordiDg  to  every  analysis  which 
has  been  made  of  it,  is  a  calcareous  stone  of  differ- 
ent degrees  of  hardness,  of  a  fine  grain,  often  colored, 
and  always  susceptible  of  polish.  As  among  other 
calcareous  stones,  there  are  Marbles  of  the  first,  se- 
cond, and  perhaps  of  the  third  formation.  The  old 
Marbles  are  not,  like  the  new,  composed  of  simple 
stony  particles,  reduced  by  the  action  of  water  into 
minate  molecules ;  they  are  formed,  like  other  ancient 
stones,  of  fragments  of  stones  still  more  ancient,  and 
the  most  of  them  are  mixed  with  shells  and  other 
marine  productions.  All  are  deposited  in  horizontal 
beds,  or  paralielly  incliijed^  and  differ  only  in  colors 
from  other  calcareous  stones ;  for  there  are  some 
stones  which  are  almost  as  hard,  as  dense,  and  as 
fine  grained  as  Marbles,  to  which,  nevertheless,  this 
name  is  not  given,  because  they  have  no  decided 


12  THE  MARBLE  WORKERs'  MANUAL. 


color,  or  rather,  no  diversity  of  colors.  These  colors, 
although  very  deeply  imprinted  in  certain  Marbles, 
do  not  change  their  nature  in  other  respects  :  they 
add  nothing  to  their  hardness  or  density,  nor  do  they 
prevent  their  calcination  and  conversion  into  lime  by 
the  same  decree  of  heat  as  with  other  hard  stones. 

Stones  which  are  of  a  fine  grain  and  susceptible  of 
polish,  form  a  link  between  the  common  stone  and 
Marbles ;  all  are  of  the  same  nature,  since  all  effer- 
vesce with  acids,  all  break  in  granulated  fragments, 
and  all  can  be  reduced  to  lime. 

I  say  all,  because  I  speak  only  here  of  pure  Mar- 
bles, that  is,  of  those  composed  entirely  of  calcareous 
matter,  with  no  admixture  of  clay,  slate,  lava,  or 
other  vitreous  materials ;  those  which  are  largely 
mixed  with  these  heterogeneous  substances  are  not 
true  Marbles,  but  demi-stones,  to  be  separately  con- 
sidered. 

^  2.  The  beds  of  old  Marble  were  formed,  like 
other  calcareous  beds,  from  the  deposit  of  the  sea, 
small  quantities  of  stony  substances,  shells,  gravel, 
pebbles,  &c.,  being  washed  together  and  stratified. 
The  local  establishment  of  most  of  these  beds  of  Mar- 
ble of  ancient  formation  seems  to  have  preceded  that 
of  other  beds  of  calcareous  stones,  as  they  are  almost 
always  found  beneath  such  beds,  and,  in  a  hill  com- 
posed of  twenty  or  thirty  beds  of  stone,  there  are 
usually  but  two  or  three,  often  but  one,  of  Marble ; 
these  always  lie  beneath  the  others  and  near  the  clay 


OP  MARBLES  IN  GENERAL. 


13 


which  forms  the  base  of  the  hill,  either  resting  upon  it, 
or  only  separated  from  it  by  another  bed  which  seems 
to  be  the  residuum  of  all  the  others,  being  made  up  of 
Marble,  pyrites,  and  a  large  quantity  of  sparry  crys- 
tallizations. 

Thus,  by  their  situation  beneath  the  other  beds  of 
calcareous  earth,  these  old  Marbles  have  received  the 
colors  and  petrifying  fluids  which  the  water  always 
collects  in  its  passage  through  the  vegetable  earth  and 
the  beds  of  stone  which  intervene  between  this  and 
the  Marble  beds.  These  first  formations  of  Marble 
are  distinguished  by  several  characteristics.  Some 
bear  the  prints  of  finely  marked  shells ;  others,  as  the 
Lumachella,  or  fire-marble,  seem  composed  of  small 
snail-shaped  shells ;  others  contain  belemnites,  ( 1 ) 
fragments  of  madrepores,  (2)  &c.  These  Marbles 
bearing  the  imprints  of  shells  are  less  com.mon  than 
the  Breccias,  which  contain  few  marine  products,  but 
are  made  up  of  pebbles  and  rounded  flints,  joined  with 
a  stony  cement,  forming  angular  fragments  when  bro- 
ken, whence  this  name.  (3.) 

^  3.  These  Marbles  of  the  first  formation  may  be 
divided  into  two  classes,  the  first  comprising  those 

1.  BelemDites— organic  remains  of  extinct  fossil  bodies,  with  a 
straight,  tapering  shell. 

2.  Madrepores.  Fossil-coral  of  the  class  of  Zoophytes,  consisting 
of  carbonate  of  lime  with  a  slight  mixture  of  membraneous  animal 
substance. 

3.  Breccia.  From  the  French  term  ^'Breche,"  signifying  notched 
or  angular. 


14  ^  THE  MARBLE  WORKERS'  MANUAL. 

called  Breccias,  and  the  second,  the  Shell-marbles. 
Both  contain  veins  of  spar,  yet  they  are  more  fre- 
quent and  more  apparent  in  the  shell-marbles,  than 
in  the  Breccias.  What  the  artisans  call  flaws''''  in 
blocks  of  calcareous  earth,  are  also  small  veius  of  spar, 
and  the  stone  often  breaks  in  the  direction  of  these 
flaws  while  working  it  with  the  mallet;  yet  sometimes 
this  spar  acquires  so  much  solidity,  especially  when 
mixed  with  combinations  of  iron,  as  to  offer  as  much 
resistance  as  the  other  material. 

^  4.  The  analysis  of  the  substance  of  White  Mar- 
ble, and  the  sparry  grains  which  are  perceived  on 
breaking  it,  seem  to  demonstrate  that  it  was  formed 
by  the  distillation  of  water.  It  is  also  worthy  of  no- 
tice that,  when  worked,  it  yields  equally  to  the  mallet 
in  every  direction,  whether  cut  horizontally  or  upright, 
while  Marbles  of  the  first  formation  can  be  worked 
horizontally  with  greater  ease  than  in  any  other  man- 
ner. These  colors  can  be  easily  perceived  in  the 
quarries,  or  on  the  rough  blocks.  Their  immersion 
m  water  draws  out  the  colors,  and  gives  them  for  the 
moment,  as  much  lustre  as  the  highest  polish. 

^  5,  There  are  but  few  Marbles,  of  much  bulk  at 
least,  which  are  of  a  single  color.  Some  fine  black 
and  white  specimens  are  the  only  ones  which  can  be 
quoted,  and  even  these  are  often  tinged  with  grey  or 
brown.  All  others  are  of  various  colors.  It  may, 
indeed,  be  said  that  every  shade  of  color  is  visible  in 
Marbles.  We  have  red  with  its  various  shades,  orange 


OF  MARBLES  IN  G^^^l^L.  "4"^^ 

/'     -  ^  '^7/  7^  r. 
yellow  and  yellowish,  green  and^^e^nash,  blues,  ni^ore, 

or  less  decided,  and  violet.  These'laSt^^/^^  f^i^brg^e 
the  most  rare,  yet  they  are  seen  in  the  VwleT^reccia, 
and  in  the  Bleuturquin^  a  Marble  obtained  from 
Genoa  and  several  other  quarries,  and  particularly 
suited  to  furniture  and  chimney  pieces.  From  the 
mingling  of  these  colors  result  an  infinitude  of  shades 
in  the  grey,  dove,  whitish,  brown,  and  blackish  Mar- 
bles. 

^  6.  The  natural  brilliancy  and  intensity  of  the 
colors  of  Marble  can  be  increased  by  art.  For  this 
end  it  is  only  necessary  to  heat  them.  The  red  will 
become  more  vivid,  and  the  yellow  will  change  into  an 
orange  or  vermilion.  The  heat  necessary  to  work 
this  change  is  acquired  by  polishing  them  till  hot,  and 
the  shades  of  color  brought  out  in  this  simple  man- 
ner are  permanent,  and  remain  unchanged  by  cold  or 
time ;  they  are  durable  because  deeply  imprinted,  and 
the  entire  mass  of  Marble  would  receive  this  increase 
of  colors  by  an  intense  heat. 

\  7.  The  ground,  which  is  generally  of  a  uniform  col- 
or, should  be  distinguished  from  those  parts  which  are 
stained  or  veined,  often  with  different  colors  ;  these 
veins  traverse  the  bottom,  and  are  rarely  intersected 
by  others,  they  being  of  a  later  formation  than  the 
bottom,  and  only  filling  crevices  caused  by  the  waste 
of  the  first  material.  In  the  same  manner,  the  stains 
are  rarely  traversed  by  other  stains  unless  by  a  few 
threads  of  herborizations  of  a  still  later  formation. 


16 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS'  MANUAL. 


and  it  should  be  remarked  that  these  stains  termi- 
nate irregularly,  with  broken  edges,  while  the  veins 
are  neither  indented  or  broken,  and  are  usually  dis- 
tinctly marked  through  their  course. 

It  often  happens  that  portions  differently  colored, 
and  differently  marked  with  spots  and  veins,  are  found 
in  the  same  quarries,  and  sometimes  in  the  same  block; 
yet  in  general,  the  marbles  of  a  country  resemble  each 
other  more  strongly  than  those  foreign  to  them.  This 
peculiarity  they  have  in  common  with  other  calcareous 
stones  which  are  of  the  same  texture  and  of  different 
grains. 

^  8.  There  are  some  rough  Marbles  which  are 
worked  with  difficulty,  resisting  the  tools  of  the  work- 
men, and  often  breaking  into  splinters.  Some  others 
of  a  softer  nature  crumble  instead  of  splintering. 
Many  others  are  filled  with  cavities ;  some  are  tra- 
versed by  numerous  threads  of  a  tender  spar,  and  are 
called  by  the  workmen  Stringy  Marbles. 

§  9.  The  Italian  Marbles  are  very  numerous,  and 
are  more  celebrated  than  any  European  Marbles.  That 
of  Carrara,  which  is  white,  is  taken  from  the  coasts 
of  Genoa  in  blocks  of  an  unlimited  size.  It  has  a 
crystalline  grain,  and  is  comparable  in  purity  to  the 
ancient  Marble  of  Pares. 

The  Marble  of  Saravezza,  which  is  found  in  the 
same  mountains  as  that  of  Carrara,  is  of  a  still  finer 
grain ;  a  red  and  white  Marble  is  also  found  there, 
with  red  and  white  spots  distinctly  marked;  this  Mar- 


OF  MARBLES  IN  GENERAL. 


ble  resembles  a  Breccia,  and  is  called  Brocatello ;  a 
blackish  tint  is  also  sometimes  seen  in  it.  Its  quarry 
is  almost  as  continuous  as  that  of  Carrara,  and  of  all 
other  white  or  colored  crystalline  Marbles  found  in 
Sienna,  or  in  the  Genoese  territories  ;  all  of  these 
are  found  in  large  masses,  in  which  no  indication  of 
shells  is  to  be  seen  ;  a  few  crevices  are  there,  filled  up 
by  a  crystallization  of  calcareous  spar.  No  doubt  all 
these  Marbles  are  of  second  formation. 

The  environs  of  Carrara  also  furnish  two  kinds  of 
Green  Marble ;  one,  incorrectly  termed  'Egyptian 
Crreen^  is  of  a  deep  green,  with  white  and  flaxen  grey 
spots;  the  other,  called  Sea  Green^  is  of  a  clearer 
color,  veined  with  white. 

^  10.  The  White  Marble  of  Paros  is  the  most  re- 
nowned of  antique  Marbles.  The  great  artists  of 
Greece  employed  it  in  those  exquisite  statues  which 
we  still  admire,  not  only  for  the  perfection  of  the 
workmanship,  but  also  for  their  preservation  during 
more  than  twenty  centuries.  This  Marble  is  found  in 
the  isles  of  Paros,  Naxos,  and  Tinos.  Its  grain  is 
coarser  than  that  of  Carrara,  and  it  is  mixed  with  a 
great  quantity  of  small  crystals  of  spar;  these  cause  it 
to  crumble  easily  while  working,  and  it  is  also  these 
which  give  it  almost  as  great  a  degree  of  transpa- 
rency as  alabaster,  which  it  resembles  in  softness. 

^  Jl.  In  Spain,  as  well  as  in  Italy  and  Greece, 
there  are  hills,  entire  mountains  even,  of  White  Mar- 
ble.   A  kind  is  also  found  in  the  Pyrennes,  on  the 


18 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS'  MANUAL. 


side  of  the  Bajonne,  which  is  similar  to  the  Marble 
of  Carrara,  with  the  exception  of  the  grain,  which  is 
coarser,  and  which  gives  it  a  strong  resemblance  to 
the  white  Parian  Marble ;  but  it  is  softer  than  the 
last,  and  its  white  often  takes  a  yellowish  tinge.  An- 
other Marble  of  greenish-brown,  spotted  with  red,  is 
also  found  in  the  same  mountains. 

In  the  suburbs  of  Molina,  a  flesh-colored  and  white 
Marble  is  found,  and  about  a  quarter  of  a  league  from 
there,  others,  red,  yellowish,  and  black,  and  grained 
likb  that  of  Carrara,  but  these  quarries  are  quite 
scarce. 

^  12.  The  marble  called  Antique  Breccia  seems  a 
sort  of  calcareous  pudding-stone,  composed  of  large 
pieces  distinctly  rounded,  some  of  which  are  white, 
blue  and  red,  and  others  black.  This  variety  of  col- 
ors gives  a  beautiful  appearance  to  this  Marble.  The 
Ereccia  of  Aleppo  is  also  composed  of  rounded  pieces 
of  a  dove-color.  The  Breccia  of  Saravezzia  presents 
rounded  fragments  of  a  very  large  size,  the  most  of 
which  are  violet ;  the  others  white  or  yellowish. 

All  the  calcareous  pudding-stones  are  varieties  of 
Breccias,  and  no  distinction  would  have  been  made 
between  them,  did  they  not  usually  difi*er  in  their  ce- 
ment, which  .is  softer,  and  unsusceptible  of  polish. 
Only  one  more  degree  of  petrifaction  is  needed  to 
make  them  perfectly  similar  to  the  finest  Breccias,  as 
the  cement  of  those  pudding-stones  composed  of  vit- 
reous flints  needs  but  one  shade  of  petrefaction  to  be 
converted  into  a  material  as  hard  as  porphyry  or  jasper. 


OF  DIFFERENT  VARIETIES  OF  MARBLE.  19 


SECTION  SECOND. 
DIFFER  ENT  VARIETIES  OF  MARBLE. 

Marble,  according  to  most  authorities,  is  an  ex- 
tremely hard  species  of  rock,  bearing  the  name  of  the 
country  in  which  are  the  quarries  where  it  is  obtained ; 
sometimes,  also,  of  the  mountains  from  whence  it  is 
taken ;  as  the  Yosgean  and  Pyrenean  Marbles. — 
Marble  is  antique  or  modern. 

The  antique  Marbles  comprise  those  of  which  the 
quarries  havo  been  exhausted,  and  which  are  only 
known  to  us  through  the  works  of  the  ancients. 

The  modern  Marbles  are  those  which  we  now  use, 
and  the  quarries  of  which  are  still  in  existence.  It  is 
generally  used  for  casings  or  inlaying  ;  rarely  in  the 
block  on  account  of  its  high  price,  unless  for  vases, 
statues,  columns  and  other  works  of  this  kind.  Many 
fine  examples  exist  of  interior  and  exterior  decora- 
tion. 

Although  the  varieties  of  Marble  are  infinite,  they 
are  reduced  to  two  species,  the  veined  and  the  Brec- 
cian,  the  latter  being  simply  a  mass  of  small  stones 
firmly  knit  together  in  such  a  manner  that,  when  bro- 
ken, thev  form  amj-lps.  whAnpp  their  Yinm^, 


20 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS^  MANUAL. 


OF  THE  ANTIQUE  MARBLES. 

§  13.  The  antique  Marble,  the  quarries  of  which 
were  in  Greece,  and  from  which  were  the  beautiful 
statues  still  existing  in  Italy,  is  absolutely  unknown 
at  present.     In  its  stead  we  use  that  of  Carrara. 

The  Lapis  is  regarded  as  the  finest  of  the  antique 
Marbles.  It  is  of  a  deep  blue  color,  stained  with  a 
clearer  sky  blue,  and  intermixed  with  veins  of  gold. 
On  account  of  its  rarity,  this  was  only  used  for  inlay- 
ing ;  several  specimens  of  it  in  Mosaic  may  still  be 
seen  in  slabs  in  castles. 

^  14.  Porphyry  passes  for  the  hardest  of  the  an- 
tique Marbles,  and,  after  the  Lapis,  one  of  the  finest ; 
it  was  formerly  brought  from  Numidia  in  Africa,  for 
which  reason  it  was  called  by  the  ancients  the  Numi- 
dian  Lapis.  It  is  red,  green,  and  grey.  The  red 
porphyry  is  very  hard,  of  a  deep  red  color,  approach- 
ing wine  lees,  and  studded  with  small  white  spots.  It 
is  very  susceptible  of  polish.  The  largest  specimen 
of  it  in  France  is  the  laver  of  king  Dagobert.  The 
finest  is  that  of  the  deepest  red,  with  the  whitest  and 
smallest  spots.  The  green  porphyry,  which  is  much 
rarer,  has  the  same  hardness.  It  is  mixed  with  small 
green  spots  and  grey  points.  A  few  slabs  and  vases 
of  it  still  exist.  The  grey  porphyry  is  spotted  with 
black,  and  is  much  softer. 

-     ,„  >.;..^  xu_„  by  the  ancients  from 


OF  ALABASTER. 


21 


the  resemblance  of  its  color  to  that  of  the  serpent,  was 
formerly  obtained  from  the  Egyptian  quarries.  This 
Marble  possesses  much  of  the  harduess  of  porphyry. 
Its  color  is  of  a  greenish  brown,  mixed  with  a  few 
square  and  round  pale  green  spots  and  yellow  veins. 
Its  rarity  caused  it  only  to  be  used  in  Mosaic. 

OF  ALABASTER. 

§  1 5.  Alabaster  is  a  species  of  Marble  either  white  and 
transparent,  or  variegated  with  several  colors,  and  is 
taken  from  the  Alps  and  the  Pyrenees.  It  is  very 
soft  when  first  taken  from  the  quarry,  but  hardens 
much  on  exposure  to  the  air.  There  are  several  va- 
rieties— the  white,  the  variegated,  the  montahuto,  the 
violet,  and  the  roquebrue.  The  white  alabaster  is 
used  for  vases,  statues,  and  other  objects  of  a  medium 
size.  The  variegated  is  divided  into  three  kinds  :  the 
Oriental,  the  Floral,  and  the  Agate.  There  are  two 
varieties  of  the  Oriental;  the  first  in  the  form  of  an 
Agate,  the  second  mixed  with  red,  blue,  yellow,  and 
white  veins.  The  Floral  alabaster  is  of  two  kinds  : 
one  spotted  with  various  colors  resembling  flowers, 
whence  its  name — the  other,  veined  like  the  Agate 
cold  and  transparent.  The  Agate  alabaster  is 
similar  to  the  Oriental,  but  has  paler  colors.  The 
alabaster  of  Montahuto  is  very  soft,  yet  harder  than 
the  German  Agate,  which  it  strongly  resembles. — 
The  ground  is  brown,  traversed  by  grey  veins,  some- 
what in  the  style  of  geographical  charts. 


22  THE  MARBLE  WORKERS'  MANUAL. 


OF  GRANITE. 

§  16.  Granite,  thus  called  because  marked  with  small 
dots  formed  of  several  grains  of  condensed  gravel,  is 
very  hard,  and  takes  polish  badly.  It  is  evident  that 
no  other  Marble  was  used  by  the  ancients  in  large 
quantities,  since  most  of  the  edifices  of  Rome,  even  to 
the  dwellings  of  private  citizens,  were  decorated  with 
it.  Doubtless  this  Marble  was  abundant,  from  the  nu- 
merous shafts  of  columns  which  even  now  serve  as 
boundaries  in  every  quarter  of  the  city.  There  are 
many  varieties  ;  the  Italian,  the  Egyptian,  and  that 
of  Dauphiny — the  green,  and  the  violet.  The  Egyp- 
tian granite,  known  as  the  Thebalcum  marmor^  and 
taken  from  the  Desert  of  Thebaid,  has  a  dirty  white 
ground,  mixed  with  small  grey  and  greenish  spots,  and 
is  almost  as  hard  as  porphyry.  The  granite  of  Dau- 
phiny, found  on  the  banks  of  the  Rhone,  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Iser,  is  very  ancient,  as  appears  from 
some  columns  which  are  in  Provence.  The  green 
granite  is  a  kind  of  Serpentine,  or  antique  green, 
mixed  with  little  green  and  white  spots ;  several  col- 
umns of  this  kind  of  marble  are  to  be  seen  at  Rome. 
The  violet  granite,  brought  from  the  Egyptian  quar- 
ries, is  dotted  with  small  spots  of  white  and  violet. — 
The  most  of  the  antique  obelisks  of  Rome  are  of 
this  Marble,  such  as  that  of  Saint  Peter  of  the  Vat- 


OF  GRANITE. 


23 


ican,  Saint  John  of  Latran,  the  People's  Gate,  and 
others. 

^  17.  The  Marble  of  Jasper  is  of  a  greenish  color, 
with  small  red  spots.  There  is  another  antique  jas- 
per, which  is  black  and  white,  with  small  spots.  This 
is  very  rare. 

The  green  antique  Marble  is  also  very  rare.  Its 
color  is  a  mixture  of  grass  and  dark  green,  with  spots 
of  different  form  and  size. 

The  black  and  white  Marbles,  the  quarries  of  which 
are  lost^  are  made  up  of  slabs  of  the  purest  white  and 
the  deepest  black. 

The  little  antique  Marble  is  of  this  last  variety,  but 
more  covered  with  small  veins,  resembling  the  Bar- 
bangon  Marble. 

^18.  The  Brocatello  Marble  was  formerly  found 
near  Adrianople.  Its  color  is  a  mixture  of  grey,  red, 
light,  yellow,  and  dove  tints. 

The  African  Marble  is  spotted  with  reddish  brown, 
mingled  with  veins  of  a  dirty  white  and  flesh  color, 
with  a  few  threads  of  a  deep  green. 

The  black  antique  Marble  was  of  two  kinds ;  one 
called  marmor  lucullum^  brought  from  Greece,  was 
very  soft.  It  was  of  this  Marble  that  Marcus  Scau- 
rus  caused  the  columns,  thirty-eight  feet  in  height, 
with  which  his  palace  was  decorated,  to  be  sculp- 
tured. 

The  yellnw  Marble  has  two  varieties.  One,  called 
Sienna  yellow,  is  of  a  yellowish  dove  color,  without 


24 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS'  MANUAL. 


veins,  and  very  rare,  and  was  only  used  for  Mosaic 
work  in  panels ;  the  other,  called  golden,  and  yellow- 
er than  the  first,  is  that  to  which  Pausanius  gave  the 
name  of  marmor  croceum^  because  of  its  saffron 
color.    It  was  found  near  Macedonia. 

^19.^The  Lumachella  marble,  thus  called  because 
it  is  a  mixture  of  white,  grey,  and  black  spots,  in  the 
form  of  snail-shaped  shells,  is  very  rare,  the  quarries 
being  lost. 


SECTION  THIRI). 
OF  MODERN  MARBLES. 

^  20.  The  white  Marble  which  is  now  taken  from 
Carrara,  near  the  shores  of  Genoa,  is  hard  and  very 
white,  and  is  suitable  for  bas-reliefs  and  other  works 
of  sculpture.  Blocks  of  any  size  can  be  obtained ; 
hard  crystals  are  also  found  there. 
.  That  Marble  of  Carrara  termed  Virgin  Marble  is 
white,  and  is  taken  from  the  Pyrenees,  on  the  side  of 
Bayonne.  It  is  finer  grained  than  the  last,  glitters 
like  a  species  of  salt,  and  resembles  the  white  antique 
Marble  from  which  the  Grecian  statues  were  made, 
but  is  softer,  not  as  fine,  and  is  apt  to  grow  yellow 
and  to  spot.    This  kind  is  used  in  sculpture. 

The  modern  black  Marble  is  pure  and  spotless,  like 
the  antique,  and  is  much  harder. 


OF  MODERN  MARBLES, 


25 


The  Dinan  Marble,  which  is  obtained  near  the  city 
of  that  name,  in  the  country  of  Liege,  is  very  abun- 
dant, and  of  a  pure  and  fine  black.  It  is  used  for 
monuments,  and  especially  for  pavements. 

The  Marble  of  Namur  is  also  very  abundant,  and 
as  black  as  that  of  Dinan,  but  not  as  perfect.  It  has 
a  slight  bluish  tinge,  and  is  traversed  by  a  few  grey- 
ish veins.  In  Holland  a  great  traffic  is  made  of  its 
tiles. 

The  Marble  of  Thee,  which  is  found  in  the  country 
of  Liege,  is  entirely  black,  soft,  and  easily  worked, 
and  is  susceptible  of  a  higher  polish  than  those  of 
Namur  and  Dinan.  It  is,  therefore,  especially  suit- 
able for  monumental  use. 

The  white-veined  Marble  which  comes  from  Car- 
rara, is  of  a  deep  blue  on  a  white  ground,  mixed  with 
grey  spots  and  small  veins.  This  Marble  is  apt  to 
spot  and  grow  yellow ;  it  is  used  for  pedestals  and 
entablatures. 

The  Marble  of  Margoire,  which  is  brought  from 
Milan,  is  very  hard,  and  quite  abundant.  Its  color 
is  a  blue  ground,  mixed  with  brown  veins  of  the  color 
of  iron.    A  part  of  the  dome  of  Milan  is  built  of  it. 

The  black  and  wliite  Marble  which  is  taken  from 
the  abbey  of  Leff,  near  Dinan,  has  a  deep  black  ground 
with  very  white  veins. 

The  Barbanqon  Marble,  found  in  the  country  of 
Hainaut,  is  black,  veined  with  white  and  is  abundant. 


26  THE  MAITBLE  WORKERs'  MANUAL. 

The  shafts  of  the  six  cornposite  columns  of  the  canopy 
of  Val  de  Grace  2.x of  this  Marble. 

The  Givet 'Marble  is  procured  near  Charlemont,  on 
the  frontiers  of  the  Luxembourg.  It  is  black,  veined 
with  white,  but  more  sparsely  than  that  of  Barban- 
qon. 

The  Portor  Marble  is  taken  from  the  foot  of  the 
Alps,  in  the  suburbs  of  Carrara.  There  are  two  va- 
rieties of  it ;  the  finest  has  a  deep  black  ground  min- 
gled with  spots  and  golden  yellow  veins  ;  the  other, 
with  whitish  veins,  is  less  esteemed. 

The  Marble  of  Saint  Maximin  is  a  species  of  Por- 
tor, the  yellow  and  black  being  more  vivid. 

The  modern  Serpentine  Marble  comes  from  Germa- 
ny, and  is  more  used  for  vases  and  similar  ornaments 
than  for  works  of  architecture. 

^  21.  The  modern  Green  Marble  is  of  two  kinds  ; 
one,  improperly  called  Egyptian  Green^  is  found  near 
Carrara,  on  the  coast  of  Genoa.  Its  color  is  deep 
green,  with  a  few  white  and  flaxen  grey  spots  ;  the 
other,  which  is  called  Sea  Green^  is  of  a  brighter  green, 
and  veined. 

The  parti-colored  Marble  resembles  the  antique 
jasper ;  the  finest  is  that  which  resembles  it  the  most 
closely. 

^  22.  The  modern  Lumachello  Marble  comes  from 
Italy,  and  strongly  resembles  the  antique,  but  the 
spots  are  not  as  distinctly  marked. 


OF  MODERN  MARBICES^.     *         *  <.  '"-£7 

The  Erema  Marble,  also  fo^S  in'-It^aly^Ii^ j^l- 
low  ground  mixed  with  white  s]^t£/^^ 

The  Peacock-eye  Marble  is  also  Bl^ou^fcifrSii^^lc^^^ 
and  is  mixed  with  white,  bluish,  and  red  ypots,  some- 
what resembling  the  sort  of  eyes  in  the  feathers  of  the 
peacock,  whence  its  name. 

The  Serena  Marble  is  mixed  with  large  spots,  and 
grey,  yellow,  and  reddish  veins. 

The  Peach-blossom  Marble,  which  is  found  in  Italy, 
has  white,  red,  and  a  few  yellow  spots. 

The  Marble  di  Vescovi,  or  Bishop's  Marble,  also 
found  in  Italy,  has  greeni'sh  veins,  crossed  by  white 
bands — long,  round,  and  transparent. 

^  23.  The  Brocatello  Marble,  called  Spanish  Bro- 
catello,  which  is  taken  from  an  antique  quarry  of 
Tortosa,  in  Andalusia,  is  very  rare.  Its  color  is  a 
mixture  of  yellow,  red,  grey,  pale  and  dove  tints. 

The  Boulogne  Marble  is  a  kind  of  Brocatello  which 
is  found  in  Picardy,  but  with  larger  spots,  mixed  with 
a  few  red  threads. 

The  Champagne  Marble,  resembling  the  Brocatello, 
is  mixed  with  blue  in  round  spots,  like  the  eyes  of  a 
partridge  ;  it  is  sometimes  found  shaded  with  white 
and  pale  yellow  tints. 

^  24.  The  Marble  of  Saint  Baume  is  brought 
from  that  part  of  Provence,  and  is  of  a  red  and  white 
ground,  mixed  with  yellow,  and  similar  to  the  Broca- 
tello. 

The  Marble  of  Tray,  found  in  the  neighborhood  of 


^8 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS'  MANUAL. 


the  preceding,  closely  resembles  it.  It  has  a  yellow- 
ish ground,  slightly  spotted  with  red,  and  shaded  with 
grey  and  white. 

§  25.  The  Languedoc  Marble  has  two  varieties. 
One  kind,  found  near  the  city  of  Cosne,  in  Langue- 
doc, is  very  abundant.  It  has  a  dirty,  vermilion-red 
ground,  intermixed  with  large  veins  and  white  spots. 
It  is  used  for  decorations  of  court-yards,  peristyles, 
archways,  &e. 

The  Griotte  Marble,  so  called  from  its  resemblance 
to  griottes,  or  cherries,  is  also  taken  from  near  Cosne, 
and  has  a  deep  red  ground,  mingled  with  dirty 
white. 

^  26.  The  Marble  called  Bleuturquin^  comes 
from  the  coast  of  Genoa.  It  is  of  a  blue  ground, 
mixed  with  dirty  white  ;  it  is  apt  to  grow  yellow, 
and  it  spots  easily ;  but  the  casings,  consoles,  and 
hearths  which  are  made  of  it  are  so  generally  used, 
that  it  has  long  been  in  vogue,  and  its  price  sustained, 
despite  the  defects  of  which  we  have  spoken. 

^  27.  The  Serancolin  was  obtained  from  a  spot 
called  the  Golden  Valley,  near  Serancolin.  It  is  of  a 
blood  color,  mixed  with  grey,  yellow,  and  some  trans- 
parent spots,  like  the  ngate  ;  the  finest  is  ver}'  rare, 
the  quarry  being  exhausted.  A  few  specimens  of  it 
still  exist  in  ancient  castles. 

^  28.  The  Campan  is  taken  from  quarries  near 
Tarbes ;  there  are  white,  red,  green,  and  dove-color 
varieties,  veined  and  spotted.    The  Green  Campan  is 


OF  MODERN  MARBLES. 


/ 

29 


of  a  bright  green,  mixed  only  with  white,  and  is  very 
common.    It  is  used  for  casings,  tables,  hearths,  etc. 

The  Signan  Marble  is  of  a  greenish  brown,  with 
red,  or  flesh-colored  and  grey  spots,  and  a  few  green 
threads;  it  resembles  the  green  Campan. 

The  Marble  of  Savoy,  brought  from  that  country, 
has  a  red  ground  mixed  with  several  other  colors 
which  seem  to  be  cemented. 

The  Gauchenet  Marble,  procured  near  Dinan,  is  of 
a  red-white  ground,  spotted,  and  mixed  with  a  few 
white  veins. 

The  Marble  of  Leff,  an  abbey  near  Dinan,  is  of  a 
pale  red,  with  large  stains  and  a  few  white  veins.  The 
capital  of  the  chancel  behind  the  canopy  of  the  Val- 
de-  Grace^  at  Paris,  is  of  this  Marble. 

§  29.  The  Marble  of  Kance,  from  the  country  of 
Hainaut,  is  very  abundant.  It  has  a  dirty  red  ground, 
spotted,  with  blue  and  white  veins.  The  principal 
specimens  of  it  in  Paris  are  the  six  Coiinthian  col- 
umns of  the  high  altar  in  the  Church  of  the  Sor- 
bonne. 

§  30.  The  Bourbon  Marble,  brought  from  that 
province,  is  of  a  bluish  grey  and  dirty  red,  with  veins 
of  dirty  yellow.  It  is  generally  used  in  compartments 
of  pavements  of  saloons,  vestibules,  peristyles,  etc. 

^  31.  The  Sicilian  Marble  is  of  two  kinds,  the 
ancient  and  the  modern.  The  first  is  of  a  reddish 
brown,  white  and  dove,  with  square  and  long  spots, 
resembling  striped  taffeta ;  its  colors  are  very  vivid. 


V 

so  THE  MARBLE  WORKERS^  MANUAL. 


The  Swiss  Marble  has  a  slate  blue  ground  mixed 
with  whitish  tints. 

OF  MARBLES  AND  MODERN  BRECCIAS. 

^  32.  The  White  Breccia  is  a  mixture  of  brown, 
grej  and  violet  with  large  white  spots. 

The  black,  or  Little  Breccia,  is  of  a  grey  or  brown 
ground,  mixed  with  black  spots  and  little  white  dots, 
which  produce  but  little  effect. 

The  Golden  Breccia  is  a  mixture  of  yellow  and 
white  stains. 

The  Coraline  Breccia  has  a  few  stains  of  a  coral 
color. 

The  Yioleo,  or  modern  Italian  Breccia,  has  a  red- 
dish browp  ground,  with  long  violet  veins  or  spots, 
mixed  with  white. 

This  Marble  is  beautiful  in  decorations  of  summer- 
houses,  but  if  care  is  not  taken  of  it,  it  loses  its  bril- 
liant colors,  and  turns  yellow.  It  is  easily  spotted 
by  grease, "wax,  paint,  oil,  etc. 

The  dove-colored  Breccia  is  a  mixture  of  white, 
violet,  and  light  spots,  with  large  dove-colored  stains. 
This  is  the  Marble  used  for  boudoirs. 

The  Marble  of  the  Pyrenees  has  a  brown  ground, 
mixed  with  grey,  and  several  other  colors. 

The  rough  Breccia — so  called  because  it  contains 
all  the  colors  of  the  other  Breccias — is  a  mixture  of 
red,  grey,  blue,  white,  and  black  spots. 


OF  THE  COLORING  OF  MARBLES. 


31 


The  Verona  Breccia  is  intermingled  with  blue,  pale 
red,  and  crimson. 

The  Sauveterre  Breccia  is  a  mixture  of  black,  grey, 
and  yellow  spots. 

The  Saravezzian  Breccia  has  a  brown  and  violet 
ground,  mixed  with  large  white  and  dove  spots. 

The  little  Saravezzian  Breccia  is  called  thus,  only 
because  its  spots  are  smaller  than  the  preceding. 

ON  THE  COLORING  OF  MARBLES. 

^33.  By  an  easy  process,  diflPerent  colors  are  given 
to  Marbles.  Colors  extracted  from  vegetables,  such 
as  saffron,  Brazilian  wood,  cochineal,  litmus,  dragon's 
blood,  etc.,  when  joined  with  a  suitable  dissolvent,  as 
spirits  of  wine,  urine  mixed  with  quick  lime  and  soda, 
oils,  etc.,  stain  the  Marble,  and  penetrate  it  quite 
deeply ;  but  to  give  it  stronger,  more  durable  and 
penetrating  colors,  metallic  acidulous  solutions  are 
necessary,  such  as  aqua- for tis,  spirits  of  salts,  etc. 

Artificial  marble  can  also  be  made.  This  process 
is  commenced  by  making  a  foundation  of  plaster,  tem- 
pered with  glue  water.  This  foundation  is  covered 
about  half  an  inch  in  thickness  with  the  following 
composition  : 

Take  foliated  and  transparent  plaster-stone,  calcine 
it  by  fire,  and  reduce  it  to  a  very  fine  powder,  dilute 
it  with  strong  glue-water,  and  add  red  or  yellow  ochre, 
or  whatever  other  color  may  be  wished.    The  coloring 


32 


THE  MABBLE  WORKERS'  MANUAL, 


should  not  be  wholly  mixed  with  the  composition 
when  veined  Marble  is  desired.  After  this  composi- 
tion has  been  applied,  and  is  perfectly  dry,  polish  it 
by  2rst  rubbing  it  with  fine  sand,  and  afterwards  with 
pumice,  or  tripoli  stone,  and  finish  by  rubbing  finally 
with  oil. 

^34.  No  particular  description  has  ever  been  given  of 
the  fine  Marbles  of  the  Yosges  mountains.  There  are 
two  varieties ;  the  granite  with  red  tints,  and  the 
Marbles,  black,  grey,  and  shaded  with  dove  and  rose 
colors.  The  black  has  a  few  dirty  white  stains;  its 
black  has  a  reddish  cast,  which  somewhat  detracts 
from  its  beauty.  The  red  is  striped  in  straight  lines 
upon  a  dove  ground  ;  the  grey  is  almost  a  Breccia 
with  points,  or  little  brown,  grey,  or  russet  shell 
work.  These  varieties  are  easily  worked,  which  fact 
has  caused  the  establishment  of  several  workshops  at 
Epinal,  where  a  large  number  jf  tables,  slabs  for  bu- 
reaus and  secretaries,  etc.,  are  fabricated,  and  many 
smaller  articles  are  made  by  the  prisoners,  who  are 
thus  relieved,  by  occupation,  from  the  dangers  of  idle- 
ness. 

OF  THE  DEFECTS  OF  MARBLE. 

^35.  Marble,  like  stone,  has  faults  which  will  cause  its 
rejection  by  the  merchant  who  is  a  judge  of  it.  They 
are  as  follows  : 

Stubborn  Marble  is  that  which,  on  account  of  its 
excessive  hardness,  is  very  difficult  to  work,  and  is  apt 


OF  MARBLE  ACCORDING  TO  ITS  WORKMANSHIP.  33 

to  fly  off  in  splinters.  This  is  the  case  with  most  hard 
Marbles. 

Crumbly  Marble  is  of  the  nature  of  sandstone,  and 
when  worked,  cannot  retain  its  sharp  arris ;  the  white 
Grecian  Marble,  that  of  the  Pyrenees,  and  several 
others,  are  of  this  nature. 

The  Terraced  Marble  has  soft  spots  in  it  called  ter- 
races^ which  it  is  often  necessary  to  fill  up  with  mas- 
tic. The  Marble  of  Languedoc  and  Hon,  and  many 
of  the  Breccias,  are  examples  of  this  class. 

The  Stringy  Marble  is  crossed  by  flaws ;  as  that  of 
Saint  Baume,  Serancolin,  Eance,  and  almost  all  colored 
Marbles. 

The  camlet  Marble  is  that  which,  retaining  the  same 
color  after  polishing,  appears  tabbied ;  as  that  of  Na- 
mur  and  some  others. 

OF  MARBLE  ACCORDING  TO  ITS  WORKMANSHIP. 

^  36.  Bough  Marble  is  that  which,  having  been  taken 
from  the  quarry  in  specimen  blocks,  or  for  block  works, 
remains  unworked. 

Bough  hewn  Marble  is  that  which  is  cut  in  the 
yard  with  the  saw,  or  simply  squared  with  the 
mallet,  according  to  the  design  of  the  vase,  statue, 
profile,  or  other  work  of  this  kind. 

Outlined  Marble  is  that  which,  havinfr  received  a 
few  subordinate  strokes  for  architecture  or  sculpture, 
is  worked  with  the  double  point  for  on^  and  the  chisel 
for  the  other. 


34 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS^  MANUAL. 


Pierced  Marble  is  worked  with  the  edge  of  the  mal- 
let to  detach  the  front  from  the  back  part  on  the  out- 
side of  works  of  a  rustic  order. 

Polished  Marble  is  that  which,  having  been  rubbed 
first  with  sandstone  and  the  beater,  and  afterwards 
with  pumice  stone,  is  polished  by  hand  with  a  linen 
cushion  and  emery  dust  for  colored,  and  the  powder 
of  calcined  tin  for  white  Marbles,  the  emery  being  apt 
to  redden  them.  In  Italy  a  piece  of  lead  is  used  in- 
stead of  linen,  which  is  better,  and  imparts  a  finer  and 
more  durable  polish  to  the  Marble  ;  however,  this  costs 
much  more  time  and  pains. 

Soiled,  tarnished,  or  stained  Marble  can  be  repol- 
ished  in  the  same  manner.  Spots  of  oil,  especially 
upon  white  Marble,  cannot  be  efi'aced,  as  they  pene- 
trate it. 

Lump  Marble  is  rubbed  with  shave  grass  or  the 
skin  of  the  sea-dog,  to  give  a  polished  surface  to  the 
subordinate  parts  of  sculpture  or  architecture. 

Finished  Marble  is  that  which,  having  received  all 
necessary  work  from  the  hand  of  the  artisan,  is  ready 
for  its  place. 

^  37.  Artificial  Marble  is  manufactured  from  a  com- 
position of  gypsum  resembling  stucco,  in  which  dif- 
ferent colors  are  mixed  in  imitation  of  Marble.  This 
composition  is  tolerably  hard,  and  takes  polish,  but  is 
apt  to  chip  ofi*.  Other  artificial  Marbles  are  also 
made  by  means  of  corrosive  tinctures  upon  white  Mar- 
ble, which  penetrates  the  surface  about  one-third  of  an 


OF  MAEBLE  ACCORDING  TO  ITS  WORKMANSHIP.  35 


inch  ;  in  this  manner  any  kind  of  ornamental  figures 
can  b.e  made,  and  the  appearance  of  the  most  minutely 
carved  foliation  given  to  the  Marble. 

^  38.  Counterfeit  Marble  is  painting  vs^hich  imi- 
tates the  colors,  veins,  and  chance  beauties  of  Mar- 
bles, and  to  which  is  given,  by  means  of  a  varnish, 
an  appearance  of  polish  on  wood  or  stone. 

^  39.  We  do  not  know  how  to  better  conclude 
these  remarks  than  by  an  extract  from  M.  Huot,  who 
has  reduced  the  Marble  question  to  those  which  are 
practically  best  known  in  commerce,  which  is,  after 
all,  the  point  most  interesting  to  Artists  and  Mer- 
chants. 

Mineralogists,  he  says,  divide  Marbles  into  two 
great  classes  ;  the  calcair'es  saccharoides^  that  is,  those 
which  break  like  sugar,  and  are  most  suitable  to  stat- 
uary;  and  the  calcaires  sublainellaires^  which,  from 
the  fineness  of  their  grain,  are  particularly  suited  to 
the  decoration  of  buildings. 

These  are  separated  into  two  groups,  the  antique 
and  the  modern. 

The  following  are  the  principal  varieties : — The 
Ked  Antique  was  taken  from  the  Egyptian  quarries, 
situated  between  the  Nile  and  the  Red  Sea.  The 
chain  of  Taygetus,  in  Laconia,  also  furnished  it,  but 
of  an  inferior  quality. 

The  Black  Antiqiie^  or  Luci^llus  Marble,  is  remark- 
able for  its  intensity  of  color.  It  is  supposed  to  have 
been  brought  from  Grreece.    Quarries  of  this  Marble 


36 


MARBLE  WORKERS^  MANUAL, 


were  also  found  near  Spa,  but  they  have  long  been 
abandoned. 

The  Green  Antique  is  a  Breccia,  composed  of  frag- 
ments of  serpentine  and  saccharoide  Marbles,  joined 
together  with  a  calcareous  cement.  This  was  used  in 
Thessalonica  and  Macedon. 

The  Yellow  Antique  was  also  found  in  Macedonia. 
It  was  from  this  Marble  that  the  columns,  composed 
of  a  single  piece,  which  decorate  the  interior  of  the 
Pantheon,  were  made. 

The  Violet  Antique  Breccia^  or  Aleppian  Breccia^ 
was  probably  taken  from  Car?;ara,  where  some  of  it  is 
still  found.  It  is  of  various  colors,  and  contains  angu- 
lar fragments  of  white  and  lilac  limestone,  joined  with 
a  violet  cement. 

The  African  Antique  Breccia^  composed  of  grey, 
red,  and  violet  fragments,  joined  by  a  black,  calcareous 
paste,  is  not  less  variegated  than  the  preceding.  This 
Marble  produces  a  beautiful  effect, 

§  40.  Asia,  Africa,  America,  Oceanica^  Sweden, 
Norway,  and  Germany  possess  Marble  quarries  which, 
although  less  known  than  those  of  Italy  and  Greece, 
are  neither  inferior  or  less  beautiful.  But  only  in 
Italy  can  be  found  the  Sienna  Yellow^  the  Florence 
Green^  the  PrciTo,  the  Bergamo^  the  Suza,  and  the 
Lumachella  of  Abruzzij  or  the  Statuary/  of  Carrara 
from  the  Genoese  co  ist>!,  or  the  superb  BleutU7'quin, 
or  Bardiglio,  also  taken  from  the  suburbs  of  Carrara ; 


OF  MARBLE  ACCORDING  TO  ITS  WORKMANSHIP.  37 


or  tbe  Black  Portor^  furrowed  with  numerous  veins 
of  a  reddish  yellow. 

^  41.  Spain  alone  can  rival  Italy  in  Marbles. 
Her  Marbles  of  Molina  are  considered  as  fine  grained 
as  those  of  Carrara.  The  provinces  of  Granada  and 
Cordova  possess  those  which  equal  them  in  purity. 
The  Grey  of  Toledo,  the  Black  of  La  Mancha,  and 
of  Biscay,  the  Blacky  veined  with  White ^  of  Mur- 
viedro,  the  Violet  of  Catalonia,  the  Red  of  Seville  and 
of  Molina,  the  Green  of  Granada,  the  Red  of  Santi- 
ago, the  red  Lumachellas  of  Granada  and  Cordova, 
and  the  Spanish  Brocatellos  with  yellow  cement,  form 
a  collection  of  mineral  riches,  which  only  need  skillful 
workmen  to  embellish  both  public  and  private  edifices 
^  with  all  the  splendor  and  prodigality  of  decorations 
of  the  artists  of  Greece  and  E;Ome. 

^  42.  England  also  possesses  fine  quarries,  which 
might  rival  those  of  the  continent.  The  expense  of 
transportation  hinders  the  introduction  of  the  English 
Marbles  into  France.  They  are  seldom  seen  there 
except  in  museums. 

^  43.  Belgium  has  considerable  commerce  in 
Marbles,  especially  in  the  kind  called  Drap  Mortu- 
aire,  on  which  the  white  shells  stand  out  distinctly 
from  the  black  ground.  It  also  has  well  known  Mar- 
bles which  are  in  great  demand  among  workmen  since 
the  introduction  of  railways  has  facilitated  their 
transport.  Among  these  is  the  Granitel,  a  species 
of  black  Lumachella,  interspersed  with  fragments  of 


38 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS'  MANUAL. 


coral  a»d  other  polypi,  and  found  principally  at  Ligny 
and'  near  Mons.  The  Saint  Anne  is  also  found  there, 
r.nd  is  of  a  grey  ground  with  irregular  white  spots, 
or  of  a  reddish  grey  ground  with  long  and  large  white 
veins. 

§  44.  But  France  can  also  compete,  in  her  varied 
products,  with  those  countries  most  favored  by  nature ; 
she  has  grey,  brown,  ash  and  red  Granites,  whose 
beauty  is  equalled  by  their  solidity.  Those  of  Cher- 
bourg, Boulogne,  and  the  Vosges,  unite  these  qual- 
ities. 

All  these  Marbles,  and  many  otners  which  are  still 
buried  beneath  beds  of  calcareous  earth,  long  remained 
neglected  or  unknown  on  account  of  the  expense  of 
quarrying  and  transportation ;  perhaps,  also,  for  the 
reason,  too  common  in  France,  that  we  value  less  the' 
products  of  our  own  soil  than  those  of  foreign  coun- 
tries ;  yet  all  these  Marbles,  we  confidently  assert, 
can  compete  advantageously  with  those  of  Italy  or 
Greece. 

The  mechanical  means  now  used  for  the  quarrying 
of  Marbles,  the  use  of  steam  engines  in  cutting,  work- 
ing, and  transporting  them,  and  the  diminution  of 
their  market  price,  will  place  them  within  reach  of  the 
world,  and  ere  long  we  shall  see  them  in  baths,  bases 
of  columns-,  stairways,  and  garden  vases  and  foun- 
tains, as  substitutes  for  the  stone  which  grows  yellow, 
Bcales  off,  and  is  covered  with  disagreeable  lichens  and 


But  it  is  not  private  individuals  alone  wlio  should 
modify  the  general  ideas  respecting  Marble.  It  is 
most  necessary  that  the  Marble  workers  themselves, 
should  endeavor  to  manufacture  the  small  articles 
which  are  demanded  in  trade,  at  reasonable  prices.  It 
is  a  wrong  system  to  put  a  high  price  on  novelties. 
It  is  better,  on  the  contrary,  to  make  them  popular  ; 
and  the  best  means  of  accomplishing  this  is  to  offer 
them  at  a  cheap  rate.  A  new  art  of  veneering  Marble 
upon  wood  or  stone,  of  which  we  shall  speak  hereaf- 
ter, will  favor  the  introduction  of  fine  French  Mar- 
bles in  commerce.  This  veneering  will  be  found 
very  beautiful  for  mantels,  consoles,  tables,  and  other 
articles  of  the  same  nature,  which  are  executed  in 
Marble. 


SECTION  POURTH. 

OF  PORPHYRiES  AND  GRANiTES. 

Before  occupying  ourselves  with  these  costly  stones, 
v/e  will  say  a  few  words  respecting  the  primitive  ma- 
terial w^bich  enters  into  their  composition. 

OF  QUARTZ. 

§  45.  Quartz  is  the  first  of  the  primitive  glasses. — 


40  THE  MARBLE  WORKERS'  MANUAL. 

This  same  material  is  supposed  to  form  the  great  in- 
ternal rock  of  the  globe ;  its  exterior  portions,  which 
form  the  base  and  nucleus  of  the  highest  elevations 
of  the  earth,  are  composed  of  the  same  primitive  mat- 
ter. The  nucleus  of  these  mountains  became  at  first 
surrounded  with,  and  covered  by  broken  fragments  of 
this  glass,  together  with  scales  of  jasper,  spangles  of 
mica,  and  little  crystallized  masses  of  feld-spar  and 
shorl,  from  which  were  formed,  by  their  union,  huge 
masses  of  granite,  porphyry,  and  all  other  vitreous 
rocks. 

To  perfectly  understand  the  nature  and  formation 
of  porphyry  and  granite,  we  must  first  define  the  dif- 
ference between  quartz  and  jasper. 

OF  JASPER. 

^  46.  Jasper  is  simply  a  quartz,  more  or  less  filled 
with  metallic  particles  ;  these  color  it,  and  render  its 
fracture  less  clear  than  that  of  quartz  ;  it  is  also  more 
opaque.  Yet  as  jasper,  with  the  exception  of  its 
color,  is  only  composed  of  a  single  substance,  it  may 
be  regarded  as  a  species  of  quartz,  unmixed  with  any- 
thing but  metallic  vapors. 

^47.  Mica  is  a  material,  the  substance  of  which  is 
nearly  as  simple  as  that  of  quartz  or  jasper,  and  all 
three  are  of  the  same  nature.  Its  formation  is  con- 
temporary with  that  of  these  two  glasses.  It  is  not 
found,  like  them,  in  large,  hard,  and  solid  masses,  but 
generally  in  spangles  or  small  thin  plates,  and  dissem- 


OF  JASPER. 


41 


inated  through  other  vitreous  substances.  These 
spangles  of  mica  have  finally  formed  talcs,  v/hich  are 
of  the  same  nature,  but  with  larger  laminre  talcs  or 
plates.  Usually,  small  parcels  of  matter  come  from 
those  which  are  in  larger  masses.  Here,  on  the  con- 
trary, the  large  volume  of  talc  is  formed  from  parti- 
cles of  mica  which  first  existed,  and  the  molecules  of 
which,  being  united  by  means  of  water,  have  formed 
talc  in  the  same  manner  as  sandstone  is  produced  by 
the  blending  of  quartzose  sand. 

^  48.  Common  Talc  is  a  kind  of  unctuous  stone, 
soft,  clean,  pearl-colored,  and  easily  separated  into 
plates,  which,  when  thin,  are  quite  transparent.  It  is 
easily  bent  or  cut,  is  greasy  and  fatty  to  the  touch,  is 
broken  with  difficulty,  will  bear  a  strong  heat  without 
suffering  much  change,  and  is  not  dissolved  by  any 
acid  or  alkaline  menstruum  in  a  liquid  form.  The 
most  esteemed  talc  is  that  which  is  as  transparent  as 
clear  water  ;  that  with  a  green  tint  is  not  as  valuable. 

Talc  is  prepared  for  commerce  by  splitting  it  into 
plates  with  a  thin,  two-edged  knife,  so  that  the  back 
of  the  plate  may  not  chip  off.  This  is  used  through- 
out Siberia  for  windows  and  lanterns  instead  of  glass, 
and  no  glass  is  clearer  or  more  transparent  than  good 
talc. 

Some  talcs  are  greenish,  yellow,  and  even  black,  and 
these  colprs,  which  affect  their  transparency,  do  not 
change  their  other  qualities ;  these  colored  talcs  are 
fiearly  as  soft  to  the  touch,  and  pliant  to  the  hand. 


42 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS'  MANUAL. 


and  resist,  like  the  white  talc,  the  action  of  acids  and 
fire. 

It  is  easy  to  understand,  from  these  facts  respecting 
the  composition  of  porphyry  and  granite,  why  they 
have  a  greater  hardness  and  solidity  than  Marble ; 
yet  these  are  not  the  only  materials  which  have  aided 
in  their  foundation. 

^  49.  Feld-spar  is  also  a  vitreous  matter,  and  is 
sparry  when  broken  ;  it  is  never  found  in  large  masses 
like  quartz  or  jasper,  but  in  small  crystals  incorpo- 
rated in  granite  and  porphyry ;  sometimes,  also,  in 
little  isolated  pieces  in  the  purest  clay,  or  in  the  sands 
formed  from  the  decomposition  of  porphyry  or  gran- 
ite, it  benig  one  of  the  constituent  parts  of  these 
rocks.  It  is  usually  found  crystallized  and  colored, 
and  in  small  masses. 

Feld-spar  is  sometimes  opaque,  like  quartz,  but 
oftener  almost  transparent.  The  different  tints  of  red 
or  violet  with  which  its  crystals  are  often  colored,  in- 
dicate a  strong  proximity  between  the  time  of  its 
formation  and  that  of  the  metallic  sublimations  which 
have  penetrated  and  tinged  jaspers  of  different  colors. 

^  50.  Shorl  is  the  last  of  the  five  primitive  glasses, 
and,  as  it  has  several  characteristics  in  common  with 
the  feld-spar,  it  can  be  plainly  seen,  by  contrasting 
them,  that  both  have  a  common  origin,  and  that  both 
were  formed  at  the  same  time,  and  by  the  same  law 
of  nature,  during  the  general  vitrification. 

Shorl  is  a  sparry  glass — that  is,  composed  of  loDgi 


OF  JASPER. 


43 


tudinal  plates  like  the  feld-spar  ;  it  is  also  found  in 
small  cr}'stallized  masses,  its  crystals  forming  prisms 
surmounting  pyramids. 

This  explained,  we  are  naturally  led  to  speak  of 
porphyry.  Quartz,  jasper,  mica,  feld-spar,  and  shorl 
are,  as  we  have  just  seen,  the  simplest  substances 
which  nature  has  produced  by  means  of  fire.  We  will 
now  follow  the  combinations  she  has  made  by  the  mix- 
ture of  two,  three,  four,  and  sometimes  by  the  whole 
five  together,  to  compose  other  substances  by  the  same 
means  of  fire,  at  the  time  of  the  first  consolidation  of 
our  o-lobe.  This  seems  to  be  a  digression  from  our 
subject,  but  it  is  that  we  may  penetrate  it  more  deep- 
ly-, and  to  initiate  the  Marble  workers  into  this  branch 
of  the  art,  which  is  usually  but  little  understood  by 
them. 

^51.  Porphyry  is  the  most  precious  of  these  com- 
posite substances,  and,  after  the  jasper,  the  most  beau- 
tiful of  all  vitreous  matter  found  in  large  masses.  It 
is,  as  we  have  just  said,  composed  of  jasper,  feld-spar, 
and  small  particles  of  shorl,  mingled  together.  It 
cannot  be  confounded  with  the  jaspers,  they  being  of 
a  simple  substance,  containing  neither  feld-spar  or 
shorl ;  oor  can  it  be  classed  with  the  granites,  as 
they  never  contain  jasper,  but  are  made  up  of  three 
or  four  other  substances,  namely,  quartz,  feld-spar, 
shorl,  and  mica. 

The  name  of  porphyry  seems  exclusively  to  desig- 
nate a  purplish  red  substance,  which  is,  in  fact,  the 


44 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS'  MANUAL. 


color  of  the  finest  porphyry  ;  but  this  title  is  extend- 
ed to  all  porphyries,  without  distinction  of  color. 

The  red  porphyry  is  interspersed  with  very  small 
spots,  more  or  less  white,  sometimes  reddish.  These 
spots  are  the  particles  of  feld-spar  and  shorl  which 
were  disseminated  and  incorporated  in  the  paste  of 
the  jasper.  The  essential  characteristics  of  all  por- 
phyries, and  by  means  of  which  they  can  always  be 
recbgnized,  is  this  mixture  of  feld-spar  or  shorl,  or 
of  both  together,  with  the  substance  of  the  jasper ;  they 
are  more  opaque  and  highly  colored  when  jasper  en- 
ters largely  in  their  composition,  and  become  some- 
what, transparent  by  the  presence  of  a  larger  quantity 
of  feld-spar.  The  less  opaque  the  porphyry,  the 
harder  it  is,  while,  on  the  contrary,  the  more  transpa- 
rent the  Marble,  the  softer  is  it  found  to  be. 

In  porphyry  the  ground  or  paste  is  deeply  colored; 
the  grains  of  feld-spar  and  shorl  are  white,  or  some- 
times of  the  color  of  the  ground,  but  of  a  much  paler 
shade ;  in  granite,  on  the  contrary,  the  feld-spar  and 
shorl  are  colored, — and  the  quartz,  which  may  be 
regarded  as  the  paste,  is  always  white.  This  proves 
that  the  substance  of  jasper  is  the  base  of  porphyry, 
as  quartz  is  that  of  granite. 

^  52.  Although  much  less  common  than  granite, 
porphyry  is  often  found  in  masses,  and  in  some  places 
in  large  blocks.  It  is  usually  a  neighbor  of  the  jas- 
per, and  both  rest,  like  the  granite,  upon  quartzose 


OF  GRANITES. 


45 


rocks ;  this  proximity  indicates  a  contemporary  for- 
mation. 

The  durable  solidity  of  the  substance  of  porphyry 
also  proves  its  affinity  with  the  jasper — neither  tarnish, 
except  by  a  long-continued  action  of  watery  elements, 
and  of  all  substances  in  the  world  used  in  large  quan- 
titles,  quartz,  jasper,  and  porphyry  are  the  most  un- 
changeable. 

Black  porphyry,  properly  called,  has  an  entirely 
black  ground,  with  small,  oblong  spots,  and  only  dif- 
fers from  the  red  porphyry  in  color. 

There  is  a  porphyry  with  a  brown  ground,  with 
large,  greenish,  oblong  spots ;  another  is  also  found 
with  a  reddish  brown  ground,  with  spots  of  bright 
green,  and  others  of  a  blackish  brown  ground,  with 
spots  of  blackish  and  greenish  tints. 

The  green  porphyry  has  several  varieties  ;  the  green 
antique  Serpentine,  the  ground  of  which  is  green,  and 
the  spots  oblong  or  parallelopipedon,  is  of  a  bright  or 
pale  green,  and  partaking  of  the  nature  of  feld-spar  or 
shorl. 

We  will  now  pass  to  the  second  part  of  this  section, 
which,  though  offering  less  interest  to  our  curiosity, 
possesses  for  us  a  much  greater  degree  of  utility. 

OF  GRANITES. 

^  53.  Of  all  matter  produced  by  the  primitive  fire, 
granite  is  the  least  simple  and  the  most  varied  ;  it  is 
usually  composed  of  quartz,  feld-spar,  and  schorl ; 


46 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS'  MANUAL. 


quartz,  feld-spar,  and  micaj  or  of  quartz,  feld-spar, 
shorl,  and  mica. 

The  red  tints  of  feld-spar  and  the  blackish  brown 
of  shorl  are,  doubtless,  attributable  to  the  metallic 
sublimations,  which,  in  the  same  manner,  have  colored 
the  jasper,  and  which  permeated  the  matter  of  feld- 
spar and  shorl  when  in  a  state  of  fusion.  However, 
all  are  not  thus  colored,  as  white  and  whitish  feld-spars 
and  shorls  are  found  ;  and  in  several  kinds  of  granite 
and  porphyry,  feld-spar  is  not  distinguishable  from 
quartz  by  its  color. 

The  Yosges,  though  not  the  highest  elevations,  are 
composed  of  granite,  exhibiting  no  vestige  of  marine 
products,  and  these  granites  are  not  covered  with  cal- 
careous beds,  although  the  sea  has  borne  its  relics  to 
much  greater  heights  in  other  places.  With  this  ex- 
ception, it  is  only  in  high  vitreous  mountains  that  the 
ancient  structure  and  primitive  composition  of  the 
earth  can  be  seen  bare  in  masses  of  quartz,  veins  of 
jasper,  groups  of  granite,  and  metallic  veins. 

When  the  metallic  exhalations  are  abundant,  and 
also  mixed  with  other  corrosive  elements,  they  deteri- 
orate the  substance  of  the  granite  in  time,  and  even 
change  that  of  quartz  :  this  is  seen  in  the  sides  of  all 
perpendicular  clefts  in  which  veins  of  metallic  mines 
have  been  found — the  quartz  seems  decomposed,  and 
the  adjacent  granite  is  crumbly. 

Buffon  says,  with  reason,  that  granite  is  only  found 
on  high  mountains,  or  at  the  foot  of  them,  having  been 


OF  GRANITES. 


47 


precipitated  by  time,  or  detached  by  waters.  An  im- 
portant historical  fact  supports  this  ,  theory ;  the  dis- 
covery in  a  marsh  of  the  piece  of  granite  which  serves 
for  the  base  of  the  colossal  statue  of  Peter  the  Great. 
This  fragment  belonged  to  no  mass,  and  the  neighbor- 
ing mountain  was  surmounted  by  pieces  of  the  same 
nature. 

^  54.  M.  Huot  also  says,  that  granite  is  styled 
by  mineralogists,  a  rock  composed  of  lamellar  feld- 
spar, quartz  and  mica,  aliuost  equally  disseminated. 
If  the  mixture  is  equal,  common  granite  is  found. — 
Whenthe  granite  contains  crystals  of  feld-spar  of  a  reg- 
ular form,  and  laro;er  than  those  of  the  other  constitu- 
ents,  it  takes  the  name  of  porphyroide  granite,  be- 
cause, at  first  sight,  it  bears  the  aspect  of  porphyry. 

It  would  be  very  interesting  to  follow  the  thought 
suggested  by  Buffon  for  the  study  of  granite,  and  to 
avail  ourselves  of  the  reasoning  of  M.  Huot ;  but 
this  would  take  us  too  much  from  our  subject,  and 
we  should  occupy  ourselves  here  less  with  the  means 
used  by  nature  in  the  composition  of  these  Marbles 
and  granites,  than  with  those  which  may  enable  man 
to  avail  himself  of  a  part  of  them. 

Nowhere,  says  Bexon,  quoted  by  Buffon,  can  one 
conceive  a  more  magnificent  idea  of  masses  of  granite, 
than  in  the  mountains  of  the  Vosges.  In  a  thousand 
places  they  offer  blocks  much  larger  than  those  we 
admire  in  the  most  superb  monuments,  and  the  broad 
summits  and  steep  sides  of  these  mountains  are  noth- 


48  THE  MARBLE  WORKERs'  MANUAL. 

ing  but  piles  and  groups  of  huge  granite  rocks,  heaped 
upon  each  other. 

^  55.  Since  the  epoch  in  which  these  naturalists 
wrote,  many  surve3^s  have  been  made,  and  we  can  say 
with  them,  that  the  Vosges  contain  the  greatest 
wealth  of  this  kind ;  that  they  produce  very  fine 
granites  of  various  grains  and  colors,  several  species 
of  porphyry  and  richly  colored  jaspers. 

The  use  of  granite  in  the  arts  would  be  highly  val- 
uable for  many  purposes,  particularly  for  water  ducts, 
troughs,  basements  of  manufactories,  pedestals  of 
funeral  monuments,  pavements  or  curbstones,  props, 
supporting  columns,  and  even  for  articles  requiring 
polish ;  for  the  most  of  the  Vosgean  granites  take 
polish  as  well  as  marble,  and  retain  it  for  a  long  time. 

The  principal  objection  is  the  difficulty  of  working 
them.  There  is  the  certainty,  at  least,  that  neither 
frost,  or  water,  or  the  sun  or  moon,  which  acts  so 
powerfully  on  stone,  can  destroy  the  article  which  the 
hand  of  the  artist  has  formed.  There  is  also  the 
certainty  that  troughs,  fountains,  and  vessels  for  hold- 
ing water,  will  not  leak,  and  that  the  necessity  will 
be  obviated,  of  cementing  pieces,  which  is  often  done 
in  blocks  of  our  best  stone. 

^  56.  Marble  workers  use  granite  but  little,  on 
account  of  its  hardness.  This  is  not  their  fault,  but 
that  of  persons  who  do  not  take  this  difficulty  of  labor 
into  consideration.  A  little  reflection  will  convince 
one  that  the  transportation  and  setting  being  of  the 


OF  GRANITES. 


49 


same  price,  it  is  more  advantageous  to  build  works 
that  will  endure  forever,  without  the  trouble  of  repair- 
ing and  renewing,  than  those  that  last  but  a  brief 
time. 

We  will  not  speak  farther  upon  the  uses  of  granite, 
as  much  that  we  would  say  on  this  head  would  be  a 
repetition  of  what  we  have  already  said  respecting 
Marble. 


THE  ART  OF  MARBLE  "WORKING  IN 
GENERAL. 

SECTION  FIRST. 
CUTTING,  WORKING,  AND  POLISHING  MARBLE. 

^  57.  The  Art  of  the  Marble  worker  consists 
in  cutting,  working,  and  polishing  Marbles  for  the 
sculpture  of  chimney-pieces,  facings,  columns,  pedes- 
tals, vases,  basins,  spandrels,  rose-work,  urns  and 
monuments. 

Marble  workers  are  also  commissioned  with  Marble 
pavements  for  compartments,  stairways,  vestibules, 
dining-rooms,  baths,  temples,  chapels,  and  churches. 
A  principal  branch  of  their  art  is  the  sculpture  of 
tombs  and  monuments;  and  in  connection  with  this, 
they  are  required  to  engrave  inscriptions  upon  Mar- 
ble or  stone,  sometimes  in  black  or  white,  sometimes 
in  gold  or  silver.  We  will  speak  hereafter  on  this 
point. 

Marbles  are  generally  cut  up  in  the  same  direction 
in  which  they  are  quarried  ;  this  is  called  sawing  with 


CUTTING,  WORKING,  AND  POLISHING  MARBLES.  51 

the  grain.  Sometimes,  however,  it  is  necessary  to 
cut  them  in  a  contrary  direction  ;  this  is  to  saw  against 
the  grain.  This  renders  them  more  difficult  to  work. 
Some  marbles  can  only  be  sawed  in  the  direction  in 
which  they  are  cut  up. 

The  Marble  w^orker  is  often  obliged  to  rough  hew, 
boast  with  the  puncheon,  and  work,  without  the  help 
of  the  saw,  casings,  rounded  consoles,  columns,  and 
other  articles  with  curved  contours ;  sometimes,  too, 
but  rarely,  he  re-works,  with  the  chisel,  badly  execu- 
ted sawings ;  he  then  squares  each  piece  with  the  saw 
or  chisel,  to  give  it  the  required  dimensions,  and 
finally  mounts  the  Marble  upon  its  stone  core,  and 
sets  up  his  work  in  its  place,  which  is  not  the  least 
delicate  part  of  the  process. 

The  working  of  mouldings  in  particuhar,  demands 
much  time  and  pains ;  the  first  operation  is  to  saw  the 
arris,  then  to  boast  with  a  notched  chisel,  making  sev- 
eral successive  groovings,  on  account  of  the  contour 
and  expansion,  in  which  but  very  small  pieces  of  the 
material  are  taken,  for  fear  of  splintering  it ;  and  fi-  » 
nally  finish  with  small  common  chisels,  which  should 
be  sharp  and  well  tempered. 

Cylindrical  pieces,  such  as  round  pedestals,  columns, 
urns,  vases,  etc.,  are  boasted  with  the  chisel,  and  then, 
if  portable,  finished  on  a  turning  lathe,  by  placing 
them  between  the  points  of  large  puppets,  and  giving 
them  a  continued  rotary  motion  by  means  of  a  wheel, 
which  is  moved  by  a  man  in  ordinary  workshops,  and 


52  THE  MARBLE  WORKERS^  MANUAL. 


by  water  or  steam  in  large  establishments.  When  it 
is  impossible  to  place  the  pieces  in  a  lathe,  they  are 
thickly  grooved,  boasted  with  the  puncheon,  and  the 
desired  contours  obtained  by  means  of  thick  panels  ; 
they  are  then  worked  with  a  small  chisel,  which  re- 
moves the  dust,  and  thus  prepares  the  Marble  for  pol- 
ishing. 

§  58.  A  complete  polishing  includes  five  distinct 
operations,  namely  : 

Grinding,  which  consists  in  smoothing  the  rough- 
ness left  by  the  burin.  This  is  done  by  rubbing  the 
Marble  with  a  piece  of  moist  sandstone  ;  for  mould- 
ings, either  wooden  or  iron  mullars  are  used,  crushed 
and  wet  sandstone,  or  sand,  more  or  less  fine  accord- 
ing to  the  degree  of  polish  required,  being  thrown  un- 
der them. 

The  second  process  is  continued  rubbing  with  pieces 
of  faience,  without  enamel,  which  have  been  baked  but 
once,  also  wet. 

If  a  brilliant  polish  is  desired,  Gothland  stone  in- 
stead of  faience  is  used,  and  potter's  clay  or  fuller's 
earth,  a  sort  of  clay  mixed  with  fine  sand,  is  placed 
beneath  the  mullar. 

This  operation  is  performed  upon  granites  and  por- 
phyries with  emery  and  a  lead  mullar,  the  upper  part 
of  which  is  incrusted  with  the  mixture  until  reduced 
by  friction  to  clay  or  an  impalpable  powder. 

^  59.  Perfection  of  polish  depends  almost  entirely  on 
the  care  bestowed  upon  these  two  operations,  which 


CUTTINGj   WORKING,   AND  POLISHING-  MARBLES.  53 

should  be  performed  with  a  regular  movement,  re- 
quiring much  patience. 

When  the  Marble  has  received  this  first  polish,  the 
flaws,  cavities,  and  soft  spots  are  sought  out,  and  filled 
with  mastic  of  a  suitable  color.  This  mastic  is  usu- 
ally composed  of  a  mixture  of  yellow  wax,  resin, 
and  Burgundy  pitch,  mixed  with  a  little  sulphur  and 
plaster  passed  through  a  fine  sieve,  which  gives  it  the 
consistency  of  a  thick  paste ;  to  color  this  paste  to  a 
tone  analogous  to  the  ground,  tints  or  natural  cement 
of  the  material  upon  which  it  is  placed,  lamp  black 
and  rouge,  with  a  little  of  the  prevailing  color  of  the 
material,  are  added.  For  green  or  red  Marbles,  this 
mastic  is  sometimes  made  of  gum-lac,  mixed  with 
Spanish  sealing-wax  of  the  color  of  the  Marble  ;  it  is 
applied  hot  with  pincers,  and  these  parts  are  polished 
with  the  rest.  Sometimes  crushed  frai^raonts  oc  the 
Marble  worked  iire  introduced  into  this  cement,  but 
for  fine  Marbles,  the  same  colors  are  employed  which 
are  used  in  painting,  and  which  will  produce  the  same 
tone  as  the  ground  ;  the  gum-lac  is  added  to  give  it 
body  and  brilliancy. 

The  third  operation  of  polishing  consists  in  rubbing 
it  again  with  a  hard  pumice  stone,  under  which  water 
is  constantly  p.oured,  unmixed  with  sand  or  other 
mordant. 

§  60,  For  the  fourth  process,  which  Marble  workers 
call  softening  the  ground,  lead  filings  are  mixed  with 
the  emery  mud  produced  by  the  polishing  of  mirr.ors 


54 


THE   MARBLE  WORKERs'  MANUAL. 


or  the  working  of  precious  stones,  and  the  Marble  is 
rubbed  with  a  compact  linen  cushion,  well  saturated 
with  this  mixture ;  the  English  rouge  is  also  used  for 
this  first  polish.  For  some  outside  works,  and  for 
hearths,  paving  tiles,  etc.,  Marble  workers  confine 
themselves  to  this  polish. 

When  the  Marbles  have  holes  or  grains,  as  do  cer- 
tain Breccias,  a  lead  mullar  is  substituted  for  this 
close  linen  cushion. 

Finally,  in  order  to  give  a  perfect  brilliancy  to  the 
polish,  the  gloss  is  applied.  This  is  done  by  first 
washing  well  the  prepared  surfaces,  and  leaving  them 
until  perfectly  dry;  then  take,  again,  a  linen  cushion, 
moistened  only  with  water,  and  a  little  powder  of  cal- 
cined tin  of  the  first  quality.  After  rubbing  with  this 
for  some  time,  take  another  cushion  of  dry  rags,  rub 
with  it  lightly,  taking  care  to  brush  away  any  foreign 
substance  which  might  crease  the  Marble,  and  a  per- 
fect polish  will  be  obtained. 

^61.  It  is  necessary  to  observe  that,  in  order  to 
gain  time  and  facilitate  labor,  many  Marble  workers 
mix  alum  in  the  water  which  they  use.  This  mordant 
penetrates  the  pores  of  the  Marble,  and  really  gives 
it  a  speedier  polish.  This,  however,  is  a  fictitious 
polish,  which  spots  very  easily,  and  which  is  soon  tar- 
nished and  destroyed  by  dampness.  It  is  necessary, 
when  purchasing  mantels,  tables,  or  other  articles  of 
polished  marbles,  to  subject  them  to  the  test  of 
water  ;.  if  there  is  too  much  alum,  the  Marble  absorbs 


ON  THE  MANNER  OF  WORKING   MARBLE.  55 


the  liquid,  and  a  whitish  spot  is  left.  When  Marble 
refuses  this  test,  one  may  be  sure  that  the  polish  has 
been  forced  with  alum,  and,  consequently,  will  not  be 
durable ;  it  is  very  common  on  selling  a  piece  of  fur- 
niture of  this  Marble,  to  pronounce  it  a  capital  polish; 
but  this  is  a  fraud  to  conceal  that  of  the  artisan. 

Marble  workers  mount  and  fasten  their  works  upon 
plaster  mixed  with  a  third  part  of  dust,  as  pure  plas- 
ter repels  the  Marble,  and  causes  it  to  swell  out  and 
burst.  These  are  joined  together  by  cramps  and  gud- 
geons of  iron  and  copper,  which  should  be  carefully 
covered,  in  order  that  the  oxides  may  not  spot  the 
casings. 

Mounting  is  an  important  point,  for  the  Marble 
worker  as  well  as  the  proprietor.  It  is  not  uncommon 
to  see  mantels  broken  by  the  force  of  the  plaster,  and 
the  angles  and  sharp  arris  of  hearths  are  almost  al- 
ways broken  ofiF  by  the  carelessness  of  the  masons,  who 
trouble  themselves  less,  as  they  incur  but  a  trifling 
responsibility. 

Marble  chimney-pieces  are,  or  should  be,  lined  with 
lias  stone  or  plaster  :  this  is  the  same  stone  which  is 
generally  used  in  bands  for  pavements. 

ON  THE  MANNER  OF  WORKING  MARBLE. 

^  62.  The  first  care  of  the  Marble  worker  should 
be  to  procure  those  Marbles  best  suited  by  nature  for 
his  work,  whether  purchased  in  the  block,  or,  as  is 
most  usual,  in  slabs  of  different  thicknesses. 


56 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERs'  MANUAL. 


When  in  the  workshop,  he  should  examine  each 
piece,  note  its  beauties,  and  endeavor  to  hide  its  de- 
fects, before  even  cutting  or  working  it ;  this  is  a  very 
important  point,  both  for  his  own  interest  and  that 
of  the  art.  He  should,  when  chance  beauties  are 
found,  endeavor  to  cut  them  into  two  or  three  parts, 
in  order  to  multiply  them  ;  the  height  of  the  art  con- 
sists in  cuttinfr  them  in  such  a  manner,  that  these 
happy  accidents  may  be  reproduced  according  to  the 
will  of  the  artist.  Thus,  it  is  a  piece  of  good  fortune 
to  be  able  to  cut  a  Marble  for  a  mantel  in  such  a 
manner,  that  the  collection  of  veins  which  form  its 
chief  beauty,  may  be  reproduced  on  both  sides,  and  in 
the  middle  of  the  mantel.  But  this  rarely  happens, 
for  the  artisans  cut  the  Marbles  in  tlye  most  economi- 
cal manner,  and  this  cutting  throws  these  accidents  in 
the  strangest  positions. 

This  can  be  understood  when  we  consider  the  calcu- 
lations of  most  Marble  workers.  Thus,  let  us  take 
for  example  a  block  from  which  two  console-tables  are 
to  be  made.  There  is  a  beautiful  collection  of  veins 
in  the  upper  part ;  we  saw  it  beveling,  in  order  to  di- 
vide the  happy  accident ;  it  is  reproduced,  in  truth, 
but  it  is  on  one  side  on  the  top,  and  on  the  other  the 
bottom  of  the  console. 

The  best  way  will  ^be  to  have  two  such  pieces,  and 
to  cut  them  uniformly;  but  to  do  this,  it  is  necessary 
to  be  well  served  in  the  quarries,  where  the  workmen 
can  see  the  exact  contents  of  a  block,  from  the  one 


ON  THE  MANNER  OF  WORKING  MARBLE.  57 

which  preceded  its  extraction  and  that  which  re- 
mains. 

If  the  Marble  worker  chooses  to  order  his  Marbles 
ready  cut,  he  must  take  such  as  are  sent  to  him ;  and, 
instead  of  making  his  own  choice  in  the  quarry,  he  is 
never  sure  of  obtaining  the  finest,  and  often  chances 
to  receive  the  most  defective,  for  the  simple  reason 
that  the  finest  blocks  are  often  selected  before  they 
are  cut. 

Marble  in  slabs  is  almost  always  better  sawed  than 
that  which  is  cut  up  in  the  workshops,  because  the 
tools  of  the  large  establishments  are  always  better 
mounted,  and  better  managed  than  those  of  the 
smaller  ones;  and  I  call  all  Marble  yards  small  in 
comparison  with  the  quarries,  whatever  may  be  their 
private  importance. 

^  63.  It  is  not  uncommon  to  see  works  in  Marble 
yards  which  were  not  executed  there ;  they  are  sent 
there  ready  made,  and  even  polished.  It  only  remains 
to  the  artizans  to  double  them,  and  to  decorate  them 
in  the  tastes  of  the  purchasers;  and  they  are  often 
spared  even  this  trouble  by  the  furnishers,  who  employ 
themselves  in  the  decoration  as  well  as  the  execu- 
tion of  the  most  exquisite  works.  There  is  one  great 
advantage  in  this ;  the  wholesale  furnishers  have 
greater  facilities,  a  more  extensive  choice,  and  less 
expense,  and  if  a  piece  breaks  from  a  defect  or  acci- 
dent, it  can  be  replaced  by  taking  another  from  the 
block  from  which  it  was  extracted;  whereas,  on  the 


58  THjE  MARBLE  WORKERS'  MANUAL, 


other  hand,  it  would  be  necessary  to  order  it  at  a 
gre'at  expense,  and  with  an  uncertainty  of  finding  it, 
if  the  accident  should  happen  in  the  Marble  worker's 
shop. 

Whatever  may  be  the  article  which  is  placed  on  the 
bench,  whether  console,  mantel,  or  tablet,  all  are 
worked  in  the  same  manner  ;  with  the  mallet  for  rough- 
hewing,  the  chisel  and  burin  for  boasting  and  finish- 
ing, the  sand-stone  for  planishing,  and  the  pumice-sfone 
and  cushion  for  polishing. 

^  64.  Besides  the  tools  of  which  we  have  spoken, 
the  Marble  worker  has  in  his  shop  pieces  of  sand- 
stone, hone,  and  pumice-stone,  prepared  in  the  best 
manner  to  glaze  smooth  surfaces,  to  round  and  groove 
mouldings,  to  destroy  marks,  stains  and  roughness, 
and  to  prepare  a  brilliant  polish  which  will  draw  out 
all  the  beauties  of  the  Marble,  without  concealing 
any  of  its  defects. 

When  the  piece  is  finished,  and  the  flutings  well 
grooved  and  uniform,  the  dust  of  baked  clay,  called 
rabat^  of  which  we  have  spoken  before,  is  used.  This 
dust  should  be  well  sifted,  and  rubbed  over  the  Mar- 
ble, either  with  a  piece  of  sandstone  prepared  for  that 
purpose,  or  with  a  coarse  linen  cushion,  which  should 
be  moistened  from  time  to  time. 

The  workman  sees  the  effect  of  his  labor  every  mo- 
ment, when  the  marble  is  of  a  good  quality  ;  but 
when  otherwise,  he  can  only  obtain  an  imperfect  pol- 
ish ;   difficulties  occur ;  soft  parts  drop  off,  mastics 


OF  SETTING  UP. 

spring  up,  cracks  become  visible,  and  i^-^  -^- 
vexatious  wben,  after  baving  lost  mucb''^^tif©y 
wearied  several  men,  tbe  Marble  worker  is  compelled 
to  reject  tbe  stubborn  and  defective  piece. 

Tbe  more  inferior  tbe  quality  of  tbe  Marble,  tbe 
longer  and  more  difficult  is  tbe  labor.  Wben  it  is  good, 
tbe  artisan  soon  completes  bis  ta.>k  ;  be  congratulates 
bimself  upon  bis  work ;  but  a  little  time  is  needed  to 
finisb  tbe  work  so  well  begun ;  a  few  strokes  of  tbe 
rabat  and  of  pumice-stone,  and  tben  tbe  cusbion,  pow- 
dered witb  emery  dust  for  tbe  colored,  and  powder  of 
tin  for  tbe  wbite  Marbles,  or,  wbicb  is  still  better, 
substitute,  as  we  said  before,  a  piece  of  lead,  by 
wbicb  a  finer  and  more  durable  polisb  will  be  ob- 
tained. 

Tbere  are  more  expeditious  metbods  wbicb  are 
employed  in  inferior  worksbops,  but  we  sball  say 
notbing  of  tbem,  except  tbat  tbey  are  a  discredit  to 
tbe  establisbments  wbicb  employ  tbem. 


SECTION  SECOND. 

OF  GETTING  UP. 

^  65.  Tbe  setting  up  of  cbimney-pieces,  patterns, 
plintbs,  etc.,  is  at  tbe  cbarge  of  tbe  Marble  worker, 
as  well  as  tbe  plaster  and  otber  materials  necessary 


60 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERs'  MANUAL. 


to  the  consolidation  of  the  work.  This  is  the  most 
delicate  operation  of  his  labor.  There  is  little  dan- 
ger of  mistakes  when  he  does  this  work  himself,  but 
it  is  quite  a  different  thing  when  left  to  the  care  of 
masons.  Often,  through  carelessness,  they  set  up  a 
Marble  without  making  sure  that  it  will  not  warp, 
that  it  will  not  crack,  that  it  is  not  above  or  beneath 
the  flooring,  that  it  does  or  does  not  rest  squarely 
upon  the  wall,  that  the  table  beneath  will  be  perfectly 
fastened  to  the  mortar,  the  mantel  or  the  band,  in 
such  a  manner  that  it  will  not  unhinge. 

^  66.  This  precaution  is  particularly  necessary  in 
setting  up  white  marbles,  which  are  apt  to  sag  in  the 
middle,  when  they  bear  only  on  their  ends.  This  sag- 
ging of  perhaps  the  half  or  one-third  of  an  inch  in  the 
course  of  the  year,  is  exceedingly  disagreeable  and  un- 
graceful, the  clocks  being  no  longer  upright,  and  the 
vases  and  candelabras  inclining  to  the  side  of  the  curva- 
ture. A  little  attention,  however,  will  prevent  all  these 
inconveniences. 

There  is  yet  another  reason  why  the  Marble  workei 
should  himself  set  up  his  mantels,  his  hearths,  his 
moldings  and  patterns.  For  this  work  small  claws 
are  necessary  to  keep  in  place  the  different  parts  of 
the  Marble.  The  mason  often  neglects  these,  and  the 
action  of  fire  or  plaster  causes  a  movement  in  the 
mantel  or  molding,  which  becomes  so  distorted  as  to 
shock  the  most  unpracticed  eye. 

The  same  thing  is  true  respecting  the  setting  up  of 


OF  SETTING  UP. 


61 


plinths  along  the  walls.  This  is  considered  of  so 
much  importance,  that  careful  Marble  workers  always 
reserve  this  part  of  the  labor  to  themselves,  and  in 
this  they  act  wisely. 

For  all  this  work,  plaster  should  not  be  used,  lest 
the  Marble  might  be  warped  or  broken  by  its  expan- 
sion. 

^  67.  The  reasons  which  we  have  just  given,  ought 
to  be  sufficient  to  convince  Marble  workers  how  much 
their  own  interest  demands  the  setting  up  of  works 
by  themselves;  but  a  more  important  one  still  remains  ; 
their  responsibility.  The  proprietor,  or  builder,  who 
employs  a  Marble  worker,  cares  little  as  to  what 
workman  sets  up  the_  work,  provided  it  is  well  done. 
When  this  is  not  the  case,  they  are  angry,  and  blame 
the  Marble  worker.  They  do  not  hesitate  to  accuse 
him  of  negligence,  of  incapncity,  of  deceit  and  unskill- 
fulness ;  yet  we  see  establishments  decline,  and  fail 
even,  against  whom  no  serious  charge  has  been  made. 
The  reason  is  obvious.  As  soon  as  the  proprietor 
complains  of  the  work,  the  Marble  worker  casts  the 
blame  upon  the  mason,  and  he  in  turn  upon  the  Mar- 
ble worker,  whose  Marbles  he  declares  to  have  been 
warped  and  defective;  and  to  settle  the  difficulty,  he 
must  appeal  to  the  law.  He  prefers  to  be  silent,  to 
sutfer  the  damage,  but  with  the  resolution  of  no  longer 
employing  one  who  had  fulfilled  his  obligations  so 
badly.  This,  perhaps,  is  somewhat  rigorous,  but  it 
is  the  exercise  of  an  incontestible  ridit. 


62 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS^  MANUAL. 


SECTION  THIRD. 
OF  MOSAIC  WORK. 

^  68.  The  modern  workers  in  Mosaic  use,  at  present, 
the  black  Marble  of  Farran,  of  Labal,  the  deep  black 
of  Argueil,  of  Pouilly,  and  of  St.  Cyr,  in  the  suburbs 
/    of  Lyon. 

For  blended  tints,  the  ancient  mosaists  employed 
the  Marbles  of  Florence,  which  are  found  near  the 
Arno,  and  which,  in  general,  are  of  an  olive,  dead- leaf 
color,  umber  and  wood  shades  ;  they  also  used  differ- 
ently tinted  flints,  reddish  violet,  and  brown. 

It  must  be  admitted  that  in  lapidary  paintings, 
above  all,  in  portraits,  nothing  can  better  render  the 
mellowness  and  transparency  of  reflex  in  the  shade 
which  oil  paintings  give  us,  particularly  when  the  bril- 
liancy is  enhanced  by  the  glow  of  the  vitrified  pastes. 
M.  Belloni  has  profited  by  these  resources  so  well  in 
his  Mosaic  of  the  Car  of  Victory,  that  one  must  be 
forewarned,  to  know  that  it  is  a  lapidary  painting. 

The  Mosaics  of  the  ancients  are  less  fine  and  less 
finisiied  than  those  of  the  moderns,  but  they  are  dis- 
tinguished by  a  happy  mixture  of  colors,  a  spirit  and 
design  which  are  wanting  in  the  latter.  They  cut 
their  Marbles  in  strips  to  form  their  cubes,  and  gave 
them  the  shape  of  dice.  When  prepared,  they  proba- 
bly placed  each  color  in  a  compartment,  separately, 
as  we  now  do. 


VENEERING  UPON  WOOD  AND  STONE.  63 


The  ancients,  to  collect  their  cubes,  employed  a 
mastic  composed  of  lime,  the  dust  of  marble,  and  cur- 
dled milk  or  skimmed  cheese,  the  sediment  of  which 
would  form  a  line  of  the  rich  color  given  by  the  milk. 
M.  Emitter,  in  his  Collection  of  Swiss  Antiquities,  ob- 
serves that  the  cement  of  the  cubes  of  an  Avenchon 
Mosaic  is  composed  of  a  paste  of  pulverized  yellow 
stone  and  linseed  oil.  To  this,  litharge  may  also  be 
added. 

When  the  mastic  is  very  dry,  rub  it  and  polish  it 
as  usual,  taking  care  to  move  the  instrument  or  cush- 
ion evenly,  so  as  not  to  injure  the  cubes,  which  are  still 
soft,  or  the  mastic,  which  has  not  yet  acquired  its  full 
degree  of  solidity.  The  white  Marbles,  in  particular, 
are  softer  than  the  others,  and  more  apt  to  strike  off. 

After  a  little  time,  warm  the  Mosaic  a  little  to  free 
it  from  all  moisture,  and  then  finish  by  rubbing  the 
whole  with  a  cushion  of  cotton  or  soft  wool,  slightly 
moistened  with  linseed  oil. 


SECTION  rOUETH. 
ON  THE  VENEERING  OF  MARBLE. 

VENEEPcING  UPON  WOOD  AND  STONE. 

^  69.  The  plating  of  silver,  the  veneering  of  costly 
woods  upon  common  ones,  and  that  of  Marble  upon 


64 


MARBLE  workers'  MANUAL. 


walls,  might  have  naturally  suggested  the  idea  of  the 
veneering  of  Marble  upon  wood  for  pedestals  of  clocks, 
little  articles  of  toilet  furniture,  or  even  for  centre  and 
all  other  ornamental  tables. 

M.  Mudesse  claims  to  have  found  a  certain  method 
of  effecting  this  object,  without  the  obstacle  which  the 
constant  warping  of  the  wood  opposes  to  the  preserva- 
tion of  the  Marble,  which  is  often  broken  by  this  ex- 
pansion. 

The  purport  of  his  ideas  is  as  follows  : 

During  several  years,  the  use  of  Marble  upon  stone 
has  greatly  increased,  despite  the  inconvenience  of  the 
enormous  weight  of  the  articles  manufactured  of  the 
plated  Marble,  which  has  also  caused  their  transporta- 
tion to  be  very  expensive. 

Marble  workers  have  sought  to  obviate  these  diffi- 
culties as  much  as  possible,  for  ornamental  clocks  in 
particular,  by  hollowing  out  the  interior.  But  this 
method,  by  leaving  only  a  slight  thickness  of  stone, 
compromises  the  solidity  of  the  plated  articles,  and 
exposes  them  to  many  risks  in  transportation. 

M.  Mudesse  has  devoted  much  time  to  experiments 
in  order  to  remove  these  obstacles,  which  have  re- 
sulted in  the  discovery  of  a  method  by  which  veneer- 
ing upon  wood  may  be  substituted  for  that  on  stone. 

This  new  process,  which  is.  safe  and  solid  in  com- 
parison with  the  old,  offers  every  possible  advantage 
to  dealers  in  Marble. 

The  principal  difficulty  has  been  in  veneering  the 


VENEERING  UPON  WOOD  AND  STONE. 


65 


Marble  firmly  upon  the  wood  without  danger  of  its 
breaking.  The  removal  of  this  difficulty  would  pro- 
cure the  following  advantages  : 

Firstly.  The  lightness  of  the  plated  articles,  and 
their  consequent  facility  for  transportation,  with  the 
great  reduction  of  price  which  would  result  in  the  di- 
minution of  the  weight. 

Secondly.  The  simplification  of  labor — as  the  wood 
could  be  easily  hollowed  out  as  much  as  deemed  pro- 
per without  danger  of  its  breaking,  which  often  hap- 
pens to  the  stone. 

Thirdly.  The  absence  of  the  oxydation  of  the  pieces 
of  iron  and  steel  composing  the  movement  of  a  clock  ; 
an  oxydation  which  is  inevitably  produced  by  the 
dampness  communicated  to  them  by  the  stone,  and 
which,  when  dry,  shells  off  and  scatters  its  dust  in  the 
pivots,  which  stops  the  working  of  the  movement,  and 
proves  an  incessant  cause  of  repairs. 

"  Thus,"  says  M.  Mudesse,  veneering  upon  wood 
is  preferable,  in  every  respect,  to  that  on  stone." 

M.  Mudesse  has  also  made  many  experiments  in 
the  plating  of  Marble  upon  different  metals,  but  has 
found  that  none  possessed  the  same  advantages  as 
wood,  in  respect  to  resistance,  solidity,  and  lightness. 

The  difficulty  to  be  obviated  was  in  the  manner  of 
veneering  the  Marble  upon  the  wood. 

For  this  purpose,  as  Marble,  particularly  the  black, 
would  break  by  heating  it  in  the  usual  manner,  M. 
Mudesse  places  the  slabs  of  Marble  in  a  cauldron. 


66 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS^  MANUAL. 


tightly  closed,  in  which  he  lets  them  boil.  He  then 
takes  them  from  the  cauldron,  and  after  this  prelimi- 
nary operation,  he  can,  without  risk,  subject  the  Mar- 
ble to  the  heat  of  the  fire  to  receive  a  mastic  of  tar. 
The  wood  having  been  first  prepared  in  a  similar  man- 
ner, he  presses  the  Marble,  coated  with  the  mastic,  upon 
the  wood,  and  a  perfect  cohesion  is  effected. 

The  mixture  of  glue  with  tar,  is  found  an  improve- 
ment in  effecting  this  veneering. 

^  70.  We  said  above  that  M.  Mudesse  had  unsuc- 
cessfully endeavored  to  plate  Marble  upon  various 
metals  :  these  possessing  a  smooth  and  polished  sur- 
face, the  substance  which  should  fasten  them  to  the 
Marble,  could  not  incorporate  itself  with  them  inti- 
mately enough  to  join  both  and  render  them  insepa- 
rable. 

To  resolve  this  problem,  it  was  necessary  to  inter- 
pose between  the  metal  and  the  Marble  a  third  body, 
which  should  force  them  to  perfectly  adhere;  this  he 
effected  by  the  use  of  sand  paper 

The  cases  of  ornamental  clocks  are  hollow,  for  the 
movement  of  the  pendulum  and  other  works.  This 
hollowing  cannot  be  effected  on  stone  without  detri- 
ment to  its  solidity. 

But  when  wood  is  used,  a  frame  is  made  of  it,  vary- 
ing in  form  to  suit  the  taste  of  the  artisan,  and  the 
exterior  parts  upon  which  the  Marble  is  to  be  ve- 
neered. 


VENEERING  UPON  WOOD  AND  STONE. 


67 


The  following  process  is  that  which  is  employed  in 
the  plating  of  Marble  upon  zinc  : 

Take  a  plate  of  zinc  of  about  the  tenth  part  of  an 
inch  in  thickness ;  make  a  frame  of  this  of  the  form 
of  one  of  the  parts  w^hich  compose  the  case  of  the 
clock,  or  whatever  other  article  may  be  wished  ;  upon 
this  form  glue  the  sand  paper,  leaving  the  rough  side 
outermost,  and  upon  this  rough  side  apply  the  Marble, 
having  first  prepared  it  by  heating  in  a  water  bath, 
and  placing  between  the  Marble  and  the  sand  paper  a 
coating  of  mastic  of  tar. 

By  this  means,  so  perfect  an  adhesion  between  the 
Marble  and  the  zinc  is  effected,  that  the  Marble  could 
be  easier  broken  than  remove.d. 

The  application  of  Marble  upon  zinc  can  also  be  ef- 
fected by  grooving  the  metal  in  every  direction  with 
strokes  of  the  file,  but  this  plating  is  imperfect  :  the 
sand  paper  produces  the  best  results. 

In  case  of  need,  coarse  emery  paper  produces  equal- 
ly as  good  effects.  The  cohesion  of  the  Marble  upon 
the  metal  by  the  interposition  of  powdered  glass  or 
emery  by  means  of  glue,  is  not  as  perfect;  the  paper 
adheres  better  to  the  metal. 

The  inventor  has  given  the  preference  to  zinc  over 
other  metals,  because  it  possesses  both  resistance  and 
cheapness,  and  causes  no  other  expense  in  the  manu- 
facture than  that  of  cutting  up  to  form  the  model. 

Tin  possesses  neither  the  same  resistance  or  the 
55ame  cheapness  ;  sheet  iron  is  dearer  ;  cast  iron  is  too 


68 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS^  MANUAL. 


heavy  ;  copper  is  expensive  ;  while,  by  the  application 
of  Marble  upon  zinc,  clocks  or  other  articles  can  be 
manufactured  and  put  in  market  at  the  same  price  as 
those  veneered  upon  wood. 

Taught  by  experience,  M.  Mudesse  has  joined  to 
the  processes  of  which  we  have  spoken  other  means 
of  execution,  which  we  shall  mention. 

We  have  said  that,  in  fastening  the  Marble  to  the 
metallic  plating,  the  tar  which  is  used  in  the  applica- 
tion of  Marble  to  stone  will  not  be  sufficient ;  for  the 
metallic  plate  and  the  Marble  do  not  possess  sufficient 
roughness  to  absorb  and  connect  themselves  with  the 
glue  so  closely,  but  that  a  slight  shock  will  disjoin 
and  separate  them. 

It  was  necessary,  then,  to  find  an  intermediate  mor- 
dant to  effect  the  solid  and  inseparable  adhesion  of 
Marble  to  metals,  and  to  replace  the  sand  paper  effec- 
tually. 

When,  in  making  the  case  of  a  clock  for  instance,  it 
is  desirable  to  apply  Marble  to  a  plate  of  zinc  or  any 
other  metal,  the  parts  must  first  be  heated  in  a  water 
bath,  or  over  a  furnace  prepared  for  this  purpose,  and 
then,  by  means  of  a  sieve,  sprinkled  with  one  of  the 
folloAving  mordants  : 

Crushed  glass,  grains  of  emery  of  all  sizes,  copper 
filings,  castings  of  any  metal,  finely  rasped  lead,  any 
kind  of  powdered  stone,  such  as  sandstone,  Marble, 
granite,  pumice-stonCj  etc.,  even  caoutchouc  can  be 
used. 


VENEEraNG 


UPOx^ 


WOOD  AND  STOxXE. 


69 


When  the  sheet  of  metal  and  that  of  the  Marble 
have  thus  received  a  sufficient  mordant,  they  are  joined 
with  a  coating  of  tar,  which  fastens  together  the  rough- 
ness of  these  two  substances^  and  forms  a  solid  and 
inseparable  whole. 

The  inventor,  believing  he  had  attained  the  highest 
degree  of  perfection  in  the  application  of  his  methods 
to  the  plating  of  Marble  upon  wood  and  metals, 
{^ives  this  abstract  in  a  statement  given  to  obtain  a 
patent,  in  October,  1841. 

^'  In  the  substitution  of  wood  and  every  species  of 
metal  for  stone,  upon  which,  formerly,  the  plating  of 
Marble  was  made,  this  problem  has  been  resolved : 

The  production  of  perfect  cohesion  between  two 
smooth  surfaces. 

This  difficulty  did  not  exist  in  the  plating  of  Mar- 
ble upon  stone,  because  this  being  by  nature  grainy 
and  spongy,  it  gave  every  facility  to  the  clinging  of 
the  mastic,  and  the  adhesion  could  be  effected  by  the 
simple  interposition  of  the  mastic  between  the  Marble 
and  the  stone. 

But  the  same  result  could  not  be  obtained  between 
two  smooth  surfaces,  as  between  Marble  and  metal." 

After  numerous  experiments  to  find  a  mastic,  the 
grained  composition  of  which  might  replace  the  rough- 
ness of  the  stone,  I  was  convinced,"  says  M.  Mudesse, 
"  that  whatever  might  be  the  composition  of  this 
mastic,  its  sole  interposition  between  the  Marble  and 
the  metal  could  not  produce  an  adhesion  sufficient  to 


70 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS^  MANUAL. 


resist  the  shocks  and  concussions  attendant  upon  the 
transportation  and  working  of  these  pieces. 

I  finally  succeeded  in  discovering  a  process,  which 
consists  in  establishing  an  artificial  mordant  upon  the 
plates  of  zinc,  or  other  metal,  and  that  of  the  Marble, 
and  then  causing  the  adhesion  of  these  two  surfaces 
thus  rendered  grainy,  by  the  interposition  of  common 
mastic,  or  tar." 

The  artificial  mordant  is  fastened  to  the  surfaces 
by  m.eans  of  paste,  or  other  glue. 

Any  web  of  linen,  hemp,  or  cotton,  can  also  be  in- 
terposed between  the  Marble  and  the  metal ;  this  web 
being  covered  with  grainy  substances,  or  artificial 
mordants,  applied  by  means  of  glue. 

These  methods  are  not  only  applicable  to  the  cases 
of  clocks,  but  also  to  frame-works  of  every  kind,  and 
to  all  articles  of  ornament  or  luxury. 

^71.  It  can  be  easily  supposed  that  the  above  rules 
will  apply  to  anything  which  is  susceptible  of  being 
veneered  with  Marble,  and  M.  Adin  has  used  them 
for  dressing-cases,  work-boxes,  and  other  articles. — 
The  following  statement  was  given  by  him  on  the 
twenty-second  of  March,  1842,  of  what  he  calls  his 
invention  : 

The  Marble  is  first  sawed  to  the  desired  thick- 
ness, and  to  the  form  required  for  the  dressing-case 
or  the  work  box  to  which  it  is  to  be  applied.  When 
the  pieces  of  Marble  are  thus  sawed,  the  wood  is  pre- 
pared, (usually  white  wood,  oak  or  fir)  by  cutting 


VENEERING  UPON  WOOD  AND  STONE. 


71 


it  in  the  same  manner,  but  a  very  little  smaller  than 
the  Marble  which  is  to  cover  it.  This  wood  is  inter- 
lined with  a  shaving  of  beech  wood,  in  order  to  pre- 
vent warping.  This  beech  wood  lining  is  only  placed 
on  the  side  which  is  to  receive  the  plating  of  Marble  ; 
each  piece  of  Marble  is  then  applied  to  the  corres- 
ponding piece  of  wood,  and  the  adhesion  is  effected 
by  means  of  glue  or  other  mastic.  When  the  Marble 
has  thus  been  applied,  the  opposite  side  of  the  wood 
is  thinly  lined  with  rosewood  or  mahogany,  in  such  a 
manner  that  this  linino;  forms  the  inside  of  the  box 
or  dressing-case,  which  is  thus  prepared  for  receiving 
the  necessary  divisions  and  compartments.  The  four 
parts  are  then  dove-tailed  together,  and  the  top  and 
bottom  parts  fastened  flatwise  on  the  four  sides  with 
glue  or  mastic. 

The  box  being  thus  finished,  the  outside  is  pumiced 
and  polished,  and  any  applications  of  gilding  can  be 
made. 

The  chief  point  of  this  invention  consists  in  the 
idea,  realized  by  me  for  the  first  time,  of  the  applica- 
tion of  Marble  to  the  manufacture  of  dressing-cases, 
work-boxes,  and  articles  of  this  nature,  which  have 
previously  been  made  only  of  wood,  cardboard,  and 
leather." 

There  may  be  some  little  obscurity  in  this  descrip- 
tion, but  it  will  be  perfectly  understood  b}^  all  read- 
ers who  have  any  knowledge  of  the  art,  and  they, 
probably,  are  the  only  ones  whose  attention  will  be 


72 


OF  MODERN  MARBLES. 


attracted  by  it.  This  veneering  is  so  much  in  use, 
and  ^0.  valued,  that  we  deem  it  unnecessary  to  enter 
into  farther  details  respecting  this  new  art,  which  is 
of  so  much  importance,  particularly  in  a  commercial 
point  of  view. 


SECTION  FIFTH. 
OF  ORNAMENTAL  MARBLE  WORK. 

OF  THE  SCULPTOR. 

When  we  speak  of  sculpture  in  connection  with 
Marble  working,  it  should  be  understood  that  this 
only  has  reference  to  the  sculpture  of  ornaments,  of 
which  Marble  is  susceptible ;  the  sculptor,  in  this 
sense,  might  be  called  an  ornamentor. 

This  is  a  speciality,  but  it  often  happens  that  the 
Marble  worker  who  performs  these  functions,  takes  the 
name  of  sculptor.  We  shall  not  speak  at  much  length 
respecting  the  sculpture  of  Marble  ornaments. 

\S  72.  What  we  have  said  has  been  rather  to  point 
out  proper  models  to  Marble  workers  and  proprietors, 
by  which  to  form  and  develop  their  tastes,  than  to 
impel  them  to  devote  themselves  to  sculpture.  It  is 
necessary  to  understand  sculpture  sufficiently  to  appre- 
ciate, if  not  to  execute  it.     Medallions,  capitals. 


OF  THE  SCULPTOR,    f    T  Kt  r  • 

friezes,  flowers,  rose  work,  acanthus  leatye^,  ythe  claws  ^ 
of  griffins,  lions,  dragons,  and  heads  of  ^iff^ia^  ji^P.NJ  •  • 
mals,  are  nearly  all  which  the  ornamentor  needTf'^'d*^'^ 
all  these  things  are  usually  for  chimney-pieces,  or 
costly  works  which  are  purchased  ready  made,  and 
are  sculptured  in  the  quarries,  and  are  only  ordered 
from  the  Marble  yard  to  accord  with  some  other 
ornament.     This  harmonizing  depends  as  much  on 
the  Marble  as  upon  the  style  of  ornamenting. 

The  price  of  sculptured  works  depends  on  the  talent 
of  the  artist,  the  delicacy  and  complication  of  the  or- 
naments, the  material  of  which  they  are  made ;  for 
some  Marbles  are  much  more  difficult  to  work  than 
others ;  and,  most  especially,  on  their  scarcity  or 
abundance  at  the  time  of  their  execution.  All  these 
circumstances  afiect  the  price  of  sculpturing,  and  also 
the  profits  which  the  dealer  can  lawfully  make.  Ano- 
ther thing  should  also  be  taken  into  consideration, 
namely :  the  nature  of  the  design  given  as  a  model. — 
An  unusual  design  gives  infinitely  more  trouble,  and  de- 
mands more  time  of  the  artist,  than  one  which  he  is  ac- 
customed to  execute. 

There  are  also  additional  labors  which  should  be 
taken  into  account,  such  as  trials  for  the  purpose  of 
judging  of  the  eflfect,  transportation  of  parts  of  the 
work,  the  journeys  of  the  workmen,  the  accidents 
which  may  happen,  and  the  alterations  which  may  be 
suggested  by  those  giving  the  order.  It  often  happens 
when  the  artist  and  purchaser  have  agreed  upon  a 


74 


THE  MARBLE  WOI.KERs'  MANUAL. 


stipulated  price,  that  they  afterwards  change  the  agree- 
ment which  they  had  settled  on. 

On  the  other  hand,  if  there  is  a  chance  of  augmenta- 
tion from  the  causes  which  we  have  just  enumerated, 
there  is  also  a  risk  of  diminution,  and  even  rejection, 
if  the  stipulated  conditions  are  not  precisely  executed ; 
an(i  though  men  in  a  position  to  order  great  works 
would  rarely  wish  to  profit  by  such  subterfuges,  it  is 
prudent  to  take  every  precaution  to  protect  one's  self 
from  the  chance  of  complaint. 

There  are  also  works  which  are  so  precious,  by  rea- 
son of  the  care  and  talent  they  demand,  or  by  the 
name  of  the  sculptor,  that  the  same  mantel,  the  same 
vase,  or  the  same  piece  of  marble  executed  by  one 
artist,  would  have  ten  times  the  value  of  another, 
sculptured  in  the  same  style  by  an  unknown  or  medi- 
ocre genius. 

This  difference  in  the  value  of  ornaments  applies 
also  to  the  value  of  other  works  in  Marble.  It  often 
happens  that  purchasers  who  cannot  appreciate  the 
difference,  are  astonished  that  of  two  mantels  of  the 
same  Marble,  one  is  worth  ten  and  the  other  fifty  dol- 
lars, or  that  of  two  vases  of  the  same  dimensions,  one 
is  valued  at  one  hundred  and  fifty,  while  its  equal  ap- 
parently, is  worth  but  fifteen  dollars. 

§  73.'  In  order  to  guard  against  deceiving  one's  self 
in  valuations,  whether  in  selling  or  in  buying,  it  is 
necessary  to  take  account  of  the  labor,  the  material, 
and  the  perfection  of  the  ornaments.    It  is  impossible 


OF  SCULPTURE  BY  ACIDS. 


75 


to  indicate  probable  prices,  since  the  price  of  to-day 
might  be  changed  in  a  month  or  a  year.  Some  usages 
of  commerce  authorize  the  merchant  to  reckon,  in  his 
valuation,  the  time  which  the  article  remains  in  his 
workshop,  but  this  is  a  bad  system.  These  are  the 
chances  of  commerce  to  which  we  must  submit,  at  the 
risk  of  the  loss  of  confidence,  and,  perhaps,  of  credit. 


SECTION  SIXTH. 
OF  SCULPTURE  BY  ACIDS. 

^  74.  There  are  secrets  in  every  art,  springing  from 
the  reflections  of  men  of  genius  and  often  from 
chance,  which  render  easy  the  execution  of  works 
which  would  necessitate  an  exceedingly  tedious  amount 
of  manual  labor,  without  the  certainty  of  accomplish- 
ing its  end  ;  such  are  the  fillets,  the  chords,  and  the 
rows  of  glittering  beads  which  are  imprinted  on  metals 
with  a  simple  mullar,  the  guilloches  which  almost  form 
themselves  by  the  perfection  of  the  tools  which  are 
used,  as  well  as  the  beautiful  carving  upon  softened 
ivory  and  expanded  shell,  and  the  admirable  designs 
upon  paper  hangings. 

The  sculpture  of  Marble  without  mallet,  chisel,  or 
burin,  is  still  more  wonderful,  and  not  less  easy  of 
execution  ;  for  this  it  is  only  necessary  to  know  how 
to  utilize  acids. 


76 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS  MANUAL. 


Tables  and  chimney-pieces  of  white  Marble  are 
sometimes  seen  decorated  with  very  delicate  sculptures, 
which  seem  to  require  an  immense  labor,  and  for 
which  it  seems  impossible  that  chisels  or  other  ordi- 
nary instruments,  however  delicate,  could  have  been 
used.  The  workmen,  jealous  of  their  secrets,  con- 
cealed them  in  order  to  increase  the  price  of,  their 
work,  by  causing  it  to  be  supposed  that  much  time 
and  pains  were  necessary  to  execute  these  beautiful 
masterpieces,  whereas  they  were  made  with  the  great- 
est facility. 

M.  Dufay,  having  perceived  that  these  works  were 
too  delicate  to  have  been  made  with  tools,  soon  dis- 
covered that  they  had  recourse  to  acids,  but  experi- 
ments were  necessary  to  specify  them.  Many  acids 
caused  the  Marble  to  turn  yellow,  and  were,  there- 
fore, inapplicable. 

He  also  experimented  upon  several  varnishes,  until 
he  discovered  one  which  was  easy  to  use,  which  dried 
readily,  and  was  impenetrable  to  acids.  Such  is  the 
course  which  one  is  always  obliged  to  follow  in  the 
arts,  in  the  simplest  researches.  The,following  is  his 
process : 

Prepare  a  varnish  by  simply  pulverizing  Spanish 
sealing-wax,  and  dissolving  it  in  spirits  of  wine. 

Trace  on  the  white  Marble,  with  a  crayon,  the  de- 
sign which  is  to  be  formed  in  relief,  and  cover  this 
delicately  with  a  brush  dipped  in  the  varnish  ;  in  less 
than  two  hours  the  varnish  will  be  perfectly  dry. — 


OF  SCULPTURE  BY  ACIDS. 


77 


Prepare  a  dissolvent  formed  of  equal  parts  of  spirits 
of  wine,  spirits  of  salt,  (hydrochloric  acid,)  and  dis- 
tilled vinegar ;  pour  this  solution  upon  the  Marble, 
and  it  will  dissolve  those  parts  which  are  not  covered 
by  the  varnish.  When  the  acid  has  ceased  to  fer- 
ment, and,  consequently,  will  no  longer  dissolve  the 
Marble-,  pour  it  on  anew,  which  continue  until  the 
ground  is  sufficiently  grooved. 

It  should  be  observed  that,  when  there  are  delicate 
lines  in  the  design  which  should  not  be  grooved  so 
deeply,  they  should  at  jSrst  be  covered  with  varnish, 
to  prevent  the  action  of  the  acids  upon  them ;  then, 
when  the  reliefs  have  been  made,  the  Marble  should 
be  well  washed,  and  the  varnish  removed  from  these 
delicate  lines  with  the  point  of  a  pin ;  then  pour  on 
new  acid,  which  will  groove  it  as  deeply  as  desired — 
care  being  taken  to  remove  it  at  the  proper  time. 

It  is  necessary  to  observe  that,  when  the  acid  has 
acted  upon  the  Marble,  it  corrodes  beneath  the  varnish, 
and  enlarges  the  lines  in  proportion  to  its  depth  ;  care 
should  therefore  be  taken  to  draw  the  lines  in  relief 
a  little  larger  than  it  is  desirable  to  leave  them. 

When  the  work  is  completed,  remove  the  varnish 
with  spirits  of  wine,  and,  as  the  grounds  will  be  very 
difficult  to  polish,  they  may  be  dotted  with  ordinary 
colors  diluted  with  the  varnish  of  gum  lac.  By  col- 
oring these  grounds,  or  the  reliefs  which  have  been 
thus  engraved,  a  beautiful  effect  will  be  produced,  and 
one  which,  if  the  secret  of  this  art  should  ever  be  lost, 


78 


THE  MABBLE  WORKERS'  UANVAL. 


would  cause  them  to  be  reo^arded  in  future  ac^es  as 
chefs-d'cEuvre. 

^  75.  M.  Osmond,  by  a  similar  process,  grooves  not 
only  Marble,  but  likewise  copper  and  mother  of  pearl, 
and  produces  with  facility  effects  which  are  seemingly 
difficult.  For  this  purpose,  he  emploj's  bitumen  and 
acids. 

The  Marble  being  grooved,  he  also  fills  up  the  cavi- 
ties in  inlaid  work  with  gold,  silver,  tin,  sealing-wax, 
sulphur,  crushed  pearl  shell  reduced  to  powder,  called 
litho'ide^  etc.  ;  every  design  executed  in  this  manner, 
whatever  may  be  its  tenuity  or  delicacy,  becomes  in- 
delible and  indestructible  by  air  or  by  the  action  of 
time.  Any  design  can  thus  be  engraved  in  three  or 
four  hours  to  whatever  depth  is  desired,  upon  an  arti- 
cle which  could  not  have  been  thus  decorated  in  a 
month's  time  by  the  chisel. 

These  designs  can  be  made  either  in  molding  or  in 
relief,  without  changing  or  injuring  the  Marble  ;  every 
sort  of  writing,  however  delicate  it  may  be,  can  also 
be  thus  traced  ;  and  the  execution  is  very  rapid,  whe- 
ther in  groovings  inlaid  with  gold  or  silver,  or  in  re- 
lief which  can  also  be  gilded  or  silvered.  It  is  by  these 
processes  that  Marble  workers  execute  a  large  por- 
tion of  their  work  in  the  decoration  of  monuments 
with  ornaments ;  and  nothing  is  more  beautiful,  or 
more  analogous  to  the  destination  of  a  tomb,  than 
these  lapidary  incrustations  which  Time  cannot  de- 


OF  SCULPTURE  BY  ACIDS. 


79 


stroy  or  even  impair,  until  after  repeated  whettings 
of  his  scythe. 

Do  you  wish  to  inlay  with  leaves  of  mother  of  pearl  ? 
You  no  longer  have  need  of  the  chisel  to  cut  them  ; 
you  make  the  grooves  upon  the  Marble,  and,  with  the 
aid  of  the  needle,  in  a  few  minutes  they  are  cut  and 
the  designs  executed,  of  whatever  nature  they  may 
be. 

We  might  here  repeat  all  that  we  said  at  the  close 
of  the  article  upon  the  veneering  of  Marble.  There 
is  some  analogy  between  these  two  processes,  both  of 
which  tend  to  increase  the  use  of  Marble  to  a  great 
extent. 

Without  wishing  to  deprive  any  of  the  modern  in- 
ventors of  their  deserts,  we  will  conclude  by  quoting 
from  a  very  interesting  article  found  in  the  Diction- 
naire  Encyclopedique^  published  in  1785.  In  vol- 
ume fourth,  page  404,  the  following  paragraph  may 
be  found  : 

^'  Some  have  succeeded  in  sculpturing  Marble  in 
very  delicate  designs  by  the  aid  of  an  acidulous  liquor, 
which  is  formed  by  a  mixture  of  spirits  of  salts  and 
of  distilled  vinegar.  Before  the  corrosion  of  the  acids, 
the  parts  to  be  preserved  in  relief  are  covered  with 
a  varnish  of  gum  lac  dissolved  in  spirits  of  wine,  or 
simply  of  Spanish  sealing-wax  dissolved  in  the  same 
acid.    The  acid  does  not  affect  the  varnish.'^ 

It  would  be  difficult  to  say  more  in  fewer  words. — 
What  do  inventors  deserve,  when  proofs  are  thus 


80 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERs'  MANUAL. 


placed  before  their  eyes  that  all  their  pretended  dis- 
coveries, with  the  exception  of  natural  philosophy  and 
chemistry,  which  have  made  great  progress,  are  but 
reproductions  of  what  was  formerly  practiced  ?  In  ar- 
chitecture, in  joining,  in  locksmithry,  in  Marble 
working,  in  painting,  in  sculpture,  in  gilding,  there  is 
nothing  valuable  known  to  us,  but  what  was  used  by 
the  ancients,  and  even  in  the  Renaissance.  If  we 
have,  in  respect  to  sciences,  the  right  to  call  ourselves 
glorious,  in  relation  to  the  arts,  it  is  our  duty  to  be 
modest. 


OF  OPERATIONS  TENDINa  TO  FACILJ 
TATE  LABOR. 

SECTION  FIRST. 
MACHINES  FOR  THE  RAISING  AND  REMOVAL  OF  BLOCKS. 

If  the  workmen  are  to  be  believed,  the  old  machines 
which  they  are  in  the  habit  of  using,  are,  and  will  con- 
tinue to  be,  those  best  adapted  to  their  wants.  But  as 
generations  pass  away,  new  ideas  take  root,  and,  ere 
long,  the  demand  will  be  as  great  for  new  machines  as 
it  now  is  for  the  old  ones.  There  are  some,  however, 
that  are  so  good  that  it  would  be  difficult  to  replace 
them  with  better;  among  these  are  the  screw-jacks, 
the  cranes  for  raising,  and  the  carts,  hand  and  wheel- 
barrows for  transportation. 

§  76.  Among  the  jfirst  rank  in  the  raising  of  blocks 
we  find  the  windlass,  and  its  improvement,  the  crane, 
which  are  much  used  in  the  Marble  quarries,  but 
rarely  for  manufactured  articles,  unless  needed  to 
raise  them,  as  in  case  of  monuments  or  accessories  to 


82 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS'  MANUAL, 


buildings.  They  are  seldom  used  in  the  Marble 
yards  where  they  would  occupy  much  room ;  we  shall 
therefore  give  but  a  brief  notice  of  them  ;  indeed  a 
detailed  description  would  be  unnecessary,  as  the 
windlass  and  crane  are  familiar  to  every  one. 

^  77.  It  is  well  known  that  the  windlass  is  composed 
of  a  cylindrical  shaft,  of  a  diameter  proportionate  to 
the  use  for  which  it  is  intended,  which  moves  upon  its 
axle  by  the  aid  of  gudgeons  inserted  into  fixed  rests, 
sometimes  in  the  form  of  an  elono^ated  X.  and  some- 
times  mounted  upon  an  inverted  T,  and  wedged  upon 
a  sleeper  of  squared  wood  or  upon  strong  joists. 
Some  windlasses  are  moved  by  cranks,  some  hy  wheels, 
and  others  by  levers. 

This  may  be  called  the  primitive  windlass.  A  cord 
or  chain  rolls  upon  it,  and  is  firmly  fixed  in  the  shaft 
of  the  windlass,  a  hook  beino^  fastened  to  the  other 
end,  which  is  attached  to  the  object  to  be  raised. 

This  has  been  improved  upon,  and  made  more  port- 
able and  solid,  by  the  substitution  of  iron  or  brass  for 
wood,  and  of  gear  instead  of  levers. 

For  the  movement  of  the  windlass,  different  me- 
chanical apparatus  is  used,  which  is  usually  terminated 
by  a  wooden  crank  having  an  iron  socket  which  crosses 
the  wooden  handle,  to  which  it  is  fastened  by  a  screw 
nut.  This  mechanism  is  more  or  less  complicated, 
according  to  the  weight  which  is  to  be  raised,  and  the 
height  to  which  it  is  necessary  to  raise  it.  The  sim- 
plest apparatus  consists  of  a  wheel  of  a  much  greater 


THE  CRANE. 


83' 


diameter  than  the  cylinder,  mounted  npon  the  same 
axle  to  which  the  force  acting  upon  the  circumference 
is  directly  applied.  In  this  case,  the  conditions  of 
equilibrium  are  those  of  a  lever  of  which  the  arm  of 
force  would  be  the  radius  of  the  large  wheel,  and  the 
arm  of  resistance  the  radius  of  the  cylindrical  shaft. 
The  advantage  of  the  power  over  the  resistance  can 
be  augmented,  by  employing  a  set  of  windlasses  joined 
together  by  cords  passing  around  the  wheel  of  one 
and  the  cylinder  of  the  other.  But  instead  of  em- 
ploying cords,  another  method  is  often  used,  which 
makes  no  change  in  the  conditions  of  equilibrium  be- 
tween the  power  and  the  resistance  ;  namely,  notched 
wheels  which  work  into  pinions  representing  the  cylin- 
ders. 

The  axles  of  these  machines  may  either  be  parallel 
to  each  other,  or  alternately  parallel  and  perpendicu- 
lar, following  the  position  of  the  teeth  of  the  wheels ; 
this  method  will  considerably  augment  the  force  of 
the  man,  and  will  prevent  many  accidents ;  these,  in- 
deed, are  almost  always  occasioned  by  the  unskillful- 
ness  of  one  of  the  workmen  employed  ;  the  more  the 
number  is  limited,  the  nearer  is  the  approach  to  unity, 
and  the  less  are  the  chances  of  misunderstanding,  and 
consequently,  of  the  accidents  which  are  the  frequent 
results  of  it. 

THE  CRANE. 

^  78.  This  machine  is  constructed  by  the  union  of 
several  simple  ones ;  the  lever,  the  cord,  the  pulley, 


84 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS  MANUAL, 


and  the  windlass.  The  principal  piece  is  a  lever  of 
from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet,  according  to  the  use  for 
which  it  is  intended.  It  is  suspended  near  the  middle 
on  an  axle  or  a  vertical  shaft,  which  revolves  in  a  cir- 
cular movement  about  the  point  of  support.  At  one 
end  is  a  pulley  or  a  cable,  to  which  is  attached  the  ar- 
ticle to  be  moved.  The  same  cable  is  then  carried 
back  to  the  other  extremity  of  the  lever,  and  is  com- 
municated to  the  windlass  by  which  the  machine  is 
worked.  The  weight  is  not  only  raised  at  the  pleas- 
ure of  the  workman,  but  he  can  also  change  its  posi- 
tion from  one  place  to  another,  by  the  movement  of 
the  vertical  shaft,  around  which  the  machinery  re- 
volves. 

The  crane  is  one  of  the  most  ancient  vehicles 
known  ;  it  is  often  improved  upon  by  modifications  of 
the  windlass,  which  is  moved  sometimes  by  bars,  some- 
times by  gear,  sometimes  by  horses,  and  sometimes 
by  steam,  according  to  the  demands  of  the  manufac- 
tories or  quarries  by  which  it  is  used  to  ensure  the 
facility  of  removal  of  the  manufactured  articles. — 
There  are  many  weights  which  can  only  be  raised  by 
the  aid  of  cranes  ;  its  principal  use  is  in  extracting, 
lifting,  loading  and  exporting  the  blocks  of  Marble. 

THE  CRAB. 

§  79  This  is  more  in  use  among  carpenters  and  ma- 
sons than  amono:  Marble  workers,  but  it  is  often 
employed  in  the  quarries,  and  we  shall  therefore 
speak  bi icily  of  it. 


THE  CRAB. 


85 


There  are  two  species  ;  the  simple  crab  is  composed 
of  a  triangle  formed  by  joining  pieces  of  wood,  on  the 
top  of  which  a  pulley  is  placed.  The  two  sides,  or 
arms,  are  crossed  by  the  axle  of  a  windlass  at  a  cer- 
tain distance  from  the  base  of  the  triangle,  or  ground. 
When  a  weight  is  to  be  raised,  the  crab  is  placed  in 
an  inclined  position,  and  fastened  with  ropes  attached 
to  the  points  of  resistance.  The  rope  by  which  the 
weight  is  to  be  raised,  is  then  passed  into  the  groove 
of  the  pulley,  and  rolls  itself  around  the  windlass  in 
proportion  as  the  load  is  raised. 

The  double  crab,  which  is  employed  in  the  lifting 
of  heavy  masses,  is  simply  the  union  of  tvv^o  such  sets 
as  those  of  which  we  have  just  spoken.  The  crabs 
are  propped  against  each  other  like  the  two  uprights 
of  a  double  ladder,  when  they  are  of  equal  force  and 
height.  In  some  cases  it  is  more  advantageous  to  have 
one  shorter  than  the  other;  they  are  then  joined  at 
the  top  of  the  shortest  in  such  a  manner  that  the 
longest  one  projecting  above,  has  the  effect  and  sup- 
plies the  want  of  the  crane.  In  either  case,  the  power 
of  this  machine  is  in  direct  proportion  with  the  num- 
ber of  arms  which  are  used  and  the  length  of  the  lever, 
or  the  size  of  the  notched  wheels  and  the  radius  of 
the  windlass. 

In  heavy  works  of  architecture,  or  of  extraction  of 
stone  and  Marble,  the  crab  is  often  replaced  by  four 
similar  posts,  forming  a  perfect  square,  and  running 
up  to  the  top  of  the  building.    This  frame  is  termi- 


86 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS'  MANUAL. 


Dated  by  two  joists,  or  two  stop  planks,  between  wliicli 
a  pulley  turns,  upon  which  a  cord  or  chain  continually 
mounts  and  descends,  by  means  of  a  windlass  placed 
upon  the  ground.  This  frame  work  has  several  props 
upon  which  men  can  be  placed  to  guide  the  movement 
of  the  weight.  By  this  means  huge  masses  can  be 
raised  and  placed  as  may  be  wished,  almost  without 
effort. 

THE  WINCH. 

^  80.  The  winch  is  simply  a  vertical  windlass,  hav- 
ing a  shaft  or  a  conical  cylinder,  around  which  a  rope 
or  cable  rolls,  to  which  the  weight  is  attached  which 
is  to  be  moved  to  the  desired  point..  It  is  not  used 
in  the  workshops,  but  is  an  excellent  means  of  ap- 
proaching the  blocks  worked,  thus  avoiding  blows 
and  wounds  which  are  often  given  by  the  ordinary 
levers  which  are  used  in  placing  the  polished  pieces 
on  rollers,  or  those  to  be  polished  in  place,  after  being 
worked  in  the  yard. 

The  vertical  cylinder  is  surmounted  by  a  head 
pierced  with  holes,  in  which  bars  are  placed  which 
cross  it,  and  serve  to  put  it  in  motion  by  the  force  of 
the  arm. 

The  winch  varies  in  form  and  power,  according  to 
the  use  for  which  it  is  designed.  There  are  small 
ones  which,  imbedded  in  the  wall  of  the  workshop,  in 
the  face  of  the  boards,  greatly  facilitate  the  fixing  in 

place  of  large  sized  articles. 


THE  WINCH. 


87 


They  may  also  be  used  to  bind  together  pieces 
which  are  to  be  joined  with  mastic,  and  to  keep  them 
in  place  in  such  a  manner  that  they  may  be  easily 
worjied,  and  the  weldiiig  consolidated.  They  may 
also  serve  as  parallel  vices,  by  means  of  two  joists, 
placed  horizontally  or  vertically,  as  may  be  wished. 
For  this  it  is  only  necessary  to  lay  down  one  of  the 
stationary  joists.  They  should  both  have  holes  in  the 
two  extremities,  in  which  a  strong  cord  is  passed. 

One  of  the  end  pieces,  in  which  is  a  ring,  is  drawn 
behind  the  movable  joist  by  the  aid  of  a  pin  which  is 
passed  in  the  eye  of  the  cord  ;  the  other  end  is  fas- 
tened to  the  hook  of  the  windlass.  When  the  cylin- 
der is  put  in  motion,  the  movable  joist  approaches  the 
stationary  one,  and  draws  towards  it  the  article,  the 
pieces  of  which  are  to  be  pressed.  This  is  a  much 
better  method  than  that  of  loading  the  welded  pieces 
with  weights  to  secure  their  cohesion,  and  possesses 
the  great  advantage  of  neither  breaking  or  scaling 
them. 

We  will  suppose  that  a  Marble  worker  wishes  to 
make  a  vase  of  a  large  size ;  it  is  to  be  composed  of 
four,  eight,  or  ten  pieces,  more  or  less,  which  are  to 
be  joined  by  the  aid  of  cement,  or  mastic,  incapable 
of  sustaining  the  weight  of  each  of  these  pieces;  it  is 
evident  that  the  use  of  the  winch,  by  drawing  to  itself 
the  two  cords  which  surround  the  pieces  of  Marble, 
will  permit  him  to  work  them  in  place,  internally  as 
well  as  externally,  and  to  hoop  them  with  iron  with 
great  precision,  if  this  seems  necessary. 


88 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS'  MANUAL. 


THE  TACKLE. 

§81.  This  machine,  which  is  of  prodigious  force, 
but  extreme  simplicity,  is  sometimes  used  in  the  shops 
of  Marble  workers  to  raise  or  bring  forward  pieces 
of  great  weight.  For  this,  it  must  be  fixed  to  a  solid 
post  by  a  ring  proportioned  to  the  force  of  the  hook 
of  the  tackle,  which  is  usually  composed  of  three  or 
four  pulleys  in  brass  or  copper,  revolving  upon  the 
same  axle.  A  movable  tackle  is  usually  joined  to  a 
stationary  one,  in  such  a  manner  that  the  same  cord 
may  pass  in  the  grooves  of  all  the  pulleys.  The 
power  should  equal  the  resistance.  We  find  in 
market  tackles,  such  as  weighing  machines  or  steel- 
yards, which  are  capable  of  raising  six,  ten,  or  twenty 
thousand  pounds. 

They  are  often  made  to  bear  up  still  more.  We 
sometimes  hear  inexperienced  workmen  boast  of  rai- 
sing blocks  of  twenty  thousand  pounds  weight  with  a 
tackle  of  twelve;  but  these  are  often  the  victims  of 
accidents  which  they  might  have  shunned,  by  not  im- 
posing upon  their  machinery  a  service  for  which  it 
was  not  constructed. 

The  tackle,  when  joined  with  the  windlass  or  winch, 
will  be  of  the  greatest  utility  in  large  establishments, 
as  it  unites  force  to  precision  of  movement.  Stationed 
near  a  machine  for  finishing  large  blocks,  it  greatly 
facilitates  the  moving  of  them  to  try  whether  they 


THE  JACK  SCREW. 


89 


are  properly  placed  ;  it  is  also  the  means  of  sparing 
the  strength  of  the  workmen,  and  guarding  them  from 
many  accidents. 

THE  JACK  SCREW. 

^  82.  The  screw  is  an  instrument  which  is.well 
known  in  respect  to  its  use,  but  which  is  often  abused 
by  not  proportioning  its  force  to  the  weight  that  is  to 
be  raised. 

Why  are  they  constructed  of  different  sizes  ?  Pre- 
cisely in  order  that  the  workmen  may  suit  them  to  the 
uses  in  which  they  are  to  be  employed.  If  they  made 
better  calculations  as  to  the  weight  of  the  loads,  less 
of  these  instruments  would  be  broken. 

There  are  several  kinds  of  screws.  The  simple  screw 
jack  is  formed  of  a  cap  or  strong  box  of  oak,  hooped 
with  iron,  in  which  a  notched  wheel  moves  up  and 
down.  On  the  top  of  this  box  is  a  hole,  from  which 
the  head  of  the  screw  proceeds,  which  is  turned  with 
a  pinion  notched  with  teeth,  to  raise  the  weight  which 
it  is  required  to  displace. 

This  works  admirably  when  the  screw  can  be  placed 
upon  solid  earth  which  will  resist  the  pressure  of  the 
weight  of  the  mass ;  when  the  ground  yields  to  this 
pressure,  it  is  necessary  to  guard  against  accidents,  to 
place  the  screw  upon  a  paving-stone,  or  aflat  or  square 
piece  of  wood,  capable  of  sustaining  the  resistance  of 
the  screw  and  the  weight  that  is  raised. 

It  is  an  admitted  principle,  that  the  power  of  this 


90 


THE  MARBLE   WORKERS'  MANUAL. 


macliine  is  to  the  resistance,  as  the  radius  of  the  pin- 
ion is  to  that  of  the  crank.  The  screw  is  furnished 
with  two  important  agents  :  one  is  a  kind  of  iron  shoul- 
der in  the  form  of  a  strong  claw,  by  which  the  load  is 
taken  almost  from  the  earth  and  elevated  to  a  certain 
height ;  the  other  is  a  catch  which  a  bolt  fixes  after 
the  screw,  in  order  to  stop  the  notched  shaft  in  which 
it  is  placed  when  the  weight  is  elevated  to  the  point 
at  which  it  rests,  which  is  according  to  the  height  of 
the  screw.  This  catch  allows  the  workman  to  rest, 
and  gives  his  assistant  time  to  wedge  up  either  the 
screw  or  the  mass.  When  the  mass  is  wedged,  it  can 
be  easily  taken  up  again,  either  with  the  aid  of  the 
claw  or  the  head  of  the  screw. 

The  second  species  of  screw  has  several  toothed 
wheels  furnished  with  pinions,  with  the  view  of  aug- 
menting the  power  of  the  screw  ;  this  is  called  a  com- 
pound screw. 

The  third  is  the  common  screw,  for  firmly  fastening 
trunks,  bales,  or  packets  for  transportation. 

There  is  still  another  kind  called  nut  screw,  which 
is  employed  for  the  same,  or  analogous  uses. 

It  is  very  important,  that  whoever  may  use  it  should 
not  employ  it  in  works  exceeding  its  power,  for  when 
its  teeth  are  once  broken,  bent,  or  warped,  it  is  re- 
paired with  difficulty,  and  never  possesses  its  original 
strength. 


NEW  MACHINE  FOR  RAISING  MARBLES. 


91 


^  SECTION  SECOND. 

NEW  MACHINE  FOR  RAISING  MARBLES. 

^  83.  In  reviewing  all  the  machines  intended  for 
raising  and  removing  heavy  weights,  the  most  useful 
and  most  portable  are  found  to  be  the  screw,  the 
crane,  and  the  tackle. 

The  screw  is  more  portable  than  the  crane,  but  is 
ineffectual  in  raising  heavy  blocks  ;  it  can  only  separate 
them  from  the  ground.  The  crane,  on  the  contrary, 
can  elevate  them  to  any  given  height — this  depending 
on  the  length  and  force  of  the  rope,  chain,  or  leather 
strap  which  rolls  upon  the  windlass  or  wheel  placed 
at  the  bottom  of  the  crane,  and  the  number  of  men 
who,  being  furnished  with  bars,  put  the  machine  in 
action. 

The  tackle  serves  the  same  purpose  as  the  crane, 
but  with  more  facility  and  less  workmen  ;  this  can  be 
adapted  to  a  crane,  thus  augmenting  its  force. 

An  inconvenience  of  the  screw  is,  its  sinking  into 
the  ground  if  it  is  moist  or  sandy.  A  machine  would 
be  desirable  in  which  these  three  might  be  united. — 
Such  a  one  M.  David  How  claims  to  have  invented, 
the  advantages  of  which  he  thus  sums  up  : 

Firstly.  This  machine  is  simple  and  portable. 

Secondly.  It  not  only  moves  the  weight,  but  raises 
it  above  the  ground. 


92 


THE  MABBLE  WORKERS'  MANUAL. 


Thirdly.  It  so  well  supplies  the  power  of  men,  as 
to  cause  the  strength  of  four  to  be  more  powerful  than 
that  of  a  hundred.  m 

Of  this  machine,  M.  How  gives  the  following  de- 
scription : 

It  is  composed  of  three  pieces  of  wood  fifteen  feet 
long,  pierced  in  the  top  with  holes  in  which  a  strong 
iron  bar  is  passed,  to  which  a  tackle  is  hooked.  The 
stake  of  the  hinder  one  is  immovable,  and  is  carefully 
fixed  in  the  ground  ;  those  of  the  front  should  have 
free  play ;  they  must  also  be  spread  apart,  and  fixed 
in  the  ground. 

When  the  machine  is  placed,  a  rope  is  passed  around 
the  wheels  of  the  tackle.  A  pin  of  two  inches  in 
length — the  upper  part  of  which  is  flat  and  the  lower 
part  cylindrical — bears  a  ring  in  which  the  hook  is  in- 
serted. This  pin  is  about  nine-tenths  of  an  inch  in 
diameter  at  its  lower  extremity,  and  grows  somewhat 
larger  towards  the  middle. 

The  end  of  the  rope  which  passes  over  the  pulleys, 
rolls  over  a  windlass  of  some  six  feet  or  more.  A 
workman  then,  with  a  chisel  or  burin,  scoops  out  a 
round  hole  of  a  little  more  than  an  inch  in  depth,  and 
as  nearly  perpendicular  as  possible,  in  the  object  to  be 
raised  ;  this  hole  should  be  somewhat  smaller  than  the 
pin,  so  that  it  can  only  bo  inserted  by  driving  in  with 
a  mallet.  When  the  pin  is  thus  forced  into  the  stone, 
the  hook  of  the  tackle  is  passed  in  its  ring,  and  the 
ropes  extended  by  means  of  the  crank  of  the  windlass; 


^EW  MACHINE  FOR.  FwAISING  MARBLES. 


93 


all  that  remains  to  be  done  is  to  place  the  persons 
necessary  to  work  it,  and,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  the 
heaviest  mass,  although  only  grasped  by  the  pin,  can 
be  torn  from  its  bed  despite  all  the  obstacles  which 
may  oppose  it,  and  raised  in  such  a  manner  as  to  be 
suspended  in  the  air. 

To  explain  this  extraordinary  fact,  those  who  have 
had  experience  think  that  the  pin  does  not  penetrate 
the  stone  in  the  precise  direction  of  the  acting  force, 
and  that  the  mass  is  raised  and  suspended  in  the  di- 
rection pointed  by  the  pins.  M.  How  is  not  of  this 
opinion ;  he  is  confident  that  it  is  to  the  elasticity  of 
the  stone,  not  the  direction  of  the  power,  that  the  ef- 
fects produced  are  attributable.  The  pin,  being  driven 
by  blows  of  the  mallet  into  the  orifice  in  which  it 
should  rest,  is  retained  there  by  the  elastic  power  of 
the  stone,  in  the  same  manner  that  a  similar  pin 
would  be  fastened  in  a  block  of  wood  if  driven  in  it 
by  the  same  means  ;  yet  with  this  difference,  that  the 
power  exercised  b}'  the  stone  upon  the  iron,  is  incom- 
parably greater  than  that  exorcised  by  the  wood  upon 
it.  This  explanation  has  been  confirmed  by  experience, 
as  it  has  been  found  :  First,  that  the  force  which  lifts 
the  mass,  acts  exactly  in  the  axle  of  the  orifice  in 
which  the  pin  is  forced  ;  secondly,  that  when  this  mass 
is  raised  from  the  ground,  it  can  be  made  to  take 
every  position  without  detaching  itself  from  the  pin  ; 
thirdly,  that  while  no  effort  can  draw  out  the  pin,  one 


94  THE  MAkBLE  WORKERS'  MANUAL. 

or  two  blows  of  the  mallet  will  detach  it  with  the 
greatest'  facility. 

The  force  which  retains  the  iron,  varies  in  propor- 
tion to  the  greater  or  lesser  elasticity  of  the  stone ; 
this  force  will  be  less  in  soft  stones  than  in  Marble, 
granite,  porphyry,  etc.,  and  it  is  the  opinion  of  the 
author  that  the  trial  can  only  be  successfully  made 
upon  these  last. 

We  can  also  say  that,  although  one  can  conceive 
that  to  a  certain  point,  and  in  certain  cases,  large 
masses  of  stone  can  be  suspended  in  the  manner  we 
have  indicated,  it  is  much  more  difficult  to  explain 
how  these  masses  can  be  raised  in  a  multitude  of  in- 
clined and  horizontal  positions,  and  how,  admitting 
that  it  is  to  the  direction  in  which  the  pin  is  enforced 
that  its  adherence  to  the  stone  is  attributable;  it  is 
found  that,  while  a  constant  effort  applied  in  every 
direction  to  the  stone  does  not  detach  it,  a  slight  con- 
cussion produces  this  effect  at  once. 

To  prove  this,  the  following  experiment  will  suf- 
fice : 

Take  a  pin  of  iron,  force  it  into  a  block  of  granite 
in  the  manner  which  we  have  described,  then,  without 
arranging  apparatus,  try,  by  means  of  a  cord  attached 
to  the  pin,  to  draw  it  out  in  every  direction,  using  the 
greatest  possible  force — all  your  efforts  will  be  use- 
less. This  clearl}^  proves  that  it  is  the  elastic  force 
of  the  stone,  instead  of  the  direction  in  which  the  cord 
is  drawn,  which  retains  the  pin  in  its  place. 


TOOLS  FOR  ORNAMENTkL^l^gfT^  .  /    .  93*'\ 

It  is  even  necessary,  when  appaohi^^^s  used.,  to"  / 
pierce  the  stone  perpendicularly,  becanag^l^^^]^^^'^ 
obliquely,  there  is  reason  to  fear  that  the  portion  of 
stone  between  the  iron  and  the  surface  will  not 
yield. 

It  Ls  surprising,  in  using  this  machine  upon  large 
masses  of  granite,  to  see  how  little  hold  is  necessary 
to  draw  tbem  from  the  ground  ;  sometimes,  when  the 
pin  is  inserted  but  a  third  of  an  inch  in  the  stone,  it 
will  be  immovable,  and  capable  of  sustaining  a  weight 
of  several  thousands  of  pounds. 

This  machine,  so  simple  that  it  can  be  put  up  in  the 
quarries  and  fields  as  well  as  in  Marble  yards,  de- 
serves to  be  practically  used.  It  is  necessary  to  fas- 
ten the  uprights  strongly,  and  to  proportion  their 
strength  to  the  weight  to  be  raised  ;  because  if  one  of 
them  should  bend  or  become  displaced,  a  shock  would 
ensue  which  would  stop  the  operation,  and,  probably, 
cause  some  accident. 


SECTION  THIRD, 

TOOLS  FOR  ORNAMENTAL  WORK. 

^84.  The  carving-lathe  and  the  wonderful  results 
produced  by  it,  almost,  we  might  say,  without  the  aid 
of  the  workman,  has  given  rise  to  many  ideas  among 


96 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS'  MANUAL. 


mechanics  respecting  machinery  for  flutings,  mold- 
ings, mortises,  and  guilloches. 

Machinery  is  seen  in  metallurgic  establishments,  in 
which  steel,  moved  by  water  or  steam,  cuts,  polishes, 
and  grooves  iron  as  regularly  as  a  chisel ;  it  is  only 
necessary  for  a  workman  to  press  a  screw  to  cause  the 
tool  to  cut,  while  it  removes  at  the  same  time  the 
chips  from  the  article  turned.  It  then  planes  down 
and  polishes  flat  surfaces  of  many  feet  in  length,  and 
even  grooves  mortises  of  several  feet,  more  easily  and 
more  regularly  than  those  of  a  few  inches  could  be 
executed  by  the  hand. 

It  is  time  that  stone  and  Marble  take  their  turn  ; 
many  happy  attempts  have  been  made,  and  a  complete 
success  cannot  be  doubted  as  soon  as  the  spirit  of  in- 
vention shall  be  turned  in  this  direction. 

This  honor  may  be  reserved  for  M.  Beaumont  of 
Paris,  who  is  earnestly  endeavoring  to  solve  this  prob- 
lem. He  took  a  patent  for  fifteen  years,  in  February, 
1846,  for  the  invention  of  a  machine  for  carving:  stone. 
His  patent  having  not  yet  expired,  no  one  has  the 
right  to  extract  from  it ;  but  we  can  give  the  descrip- 
tion which  he  has  given  of  his  machine  in  claiming  his 
patent.  This  is  found  in  volume  seventh,  page  134, 
of  the  collection  of  patents  of  iuvei^tion  published  by 
government. 

Upon  a  strong  table,  by  the  aid  of  a  cramp  fixed 
in  the  wall,  M.  Beaumont  adjusts  his  machine,  which 
is  ingenious,  but  difiicult  to  be  understood  by  those 


TOOLS  FOR  OPcNAMENTAL  WORK. 


97 


who  have  not  studied  the  designs.  We  will  only  say 
that  it  is  composed  of  a  drill-tool  with  a  rotary  move- 
ment, supported  by  an  upper  plate,  dove  tailed,  and 
pivoting,  if  necessary,  to  any  inclination;  of  a  lower 
plate  with  circular  furrows  receiving  the  groover,  the 
pivoting  drill-tool  being  able  to  take  every  inclination 
necessary  for  the  execution  of  all  figures;  straight, 
convex,  concave,  irregular  or  ideal  lines;  (a  bore  in 
front  for  wavy  moldings  upon  a  flat  surface,  or  another 
bore  in  the  form  of  the  shelf  of  a  chimney-piece,  in- 
tended for  reliefs  or  hollows,  can  be  substituted  for 
this ; )  of  a  transverse  screw  at  the  end  of  which  is  a 
pulley  and  crank,  used  to  draw  the  drill- tool  to  the 
right  or  left;  of  a  pin  fastened  to  the  drill-groover, 
at  the  end  of  which  is  a  handle  for  obtaiiiing  the  piv- 
oting necessary  to  the  inclination  of  the  bore  ;  of  a 
pulley  with  two  grooves,  which  receives  the  leather 
strap  of  the  moving  power;  of  a  groos^ed  calibre-box 
fastened  by  a  pressure  screw  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
serve  as  the  point  of  support  to  this  singular  machine, 
which  follows  every  movement  iudicated  by  the  mov- 
ing power. 

The  exposition  of  M.  Beaumont  also  contains  many 
other  details  which  we  will  nut  repeat,  as  they 
cannot  be  understood  without,  plans  and  designs  which 
we  have  no  right  to  give,  they  being  the  property  of 
the  inventor. 


98 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS'  MANUAL. 


SECTION  FOURTH. 
MACHINERY  FOR  MOLDINGS  OF  MARBLE. 

§  85.  IndependeDtly  of  machinery  for  sawing,  bor- 
ing, and  fluting,  machines  are  also  used  for  straight  or 
circular  moldings.  This  is  a  method  of  labor-saving 
which  deserves  to  be  studied  and  perfected. 

One  of  these  machines,  invented  at  Marseilles,  has 
been  described  by  its  author  As  we  have  never  seen 
it,  we  will  only  give  the  exposition  made  in  order  to 
gain  a  patent  of  invention,  which  was  taken  on  the 
eleventh  of  April,  1845. 

This  machine  is  composed  of  a  brass  tray,  furnished 
with  two,  three,  or  four  wings,  which  are  also  of  brass, 
in  the  form  of  a  swallow-tail.  Each  of  these  wings 
is  formed  by  two  bands  of  iron,  spoke-shaped,  which 
divide  the  circumference  of  the  tray  and  depart  from 
its  centre.  These  two  bands  are  joined  at  their  ex- 
tremity by  a  circular  band  resembling  a  felloe,  and 
thus  form  the  swallow-tail. 

The  tray,  with  its  four  wings,  resembles  a  Maltese 
cross;  the  bottom  of  the  tray,  that  of  the  bands 
which  form  the  wings,  and  of  the  felloe,  forming  a 


MACHINERY  FOR  MOLDINGS  OF  MARBLE.  99 


siljgle,  flat  surface ;  it  inight  be  styled  a  tray  with 
two,  three,  or  four  branches. 

The  tray  may  be  round,  or  any  other  shape  which 
may  be  desirable  ;  (the  length  of  the  wings  is  suited 
to  the  diameter  of  the  largest  moldings  which  are  to 
be  made,)  it  is  placed  horizontally,  and  pierced  in  the 
centre  with  a  hole  from  which  a  vertical  shaft  proceeds, 
which  is  fastened  there,  either  with  a  bolt,  pin,  by 
boring  with  a  screw-tap  in  a  contrary  direction  to  the 
rotary  movement,  or  by  any  other  means  which  may 
be  best  suited  to  the  work  to  be  done. 

The  shaft  is  of  an  indefinite  length ;  it  is  furnished 
with  a  pulley  by  which  the  rotary  movement  is  com- 
municated to  it ;  its  upper  extremity  turns  in  a  socket 
in  which  a  rope  is  fixed,  which,  returning  by  the  pul- 
ley, is  fastened  to  a  balance  weight,  which  it  holds 
suspended ;  it  is  principally  by  means  of  this  balance 
weight  that  the  apparatus  is  made  to  weigh  in  its  ro- 
tary movements. 

The  shaft  is  fastened  by  two  iron  wedges  to  two 
frames  fixed  in  the  wall,  or  to  two  cross-pieces  of  oak 
•  or  iron,  according  to  the  locality,  and  the  nature  of 
the  work. 

The  bands  forming  the  wings  of  the  tray,  are 
pierced  with  holes  at  different  distances  from  the  cen- 
tre. Plates  of  metal,  bearing  the  impressions  of  the 
moldings  to  be  stamped,  are  then  fixed  to  each  of  the 
wings  of  the  tray,  by  means  of  a  bolt  in  each  wing, 
which  crosses  them,  and  which  is  fastened  over  the 


100  THE  MARBLE  WORKERS^  MANUAL. 


bands  forming  the  wing,  by  passing  into  two  of  the 
holes  which  have  been  made. 

Each  of  these  plates  has  two  notches,  in  which  are 
concealed  the  heads  of  bolts,  which  rest  against  the 
wing  of  the  tray. 

The  holes  which  are  for  the  stamped  plates  in  which 
the  bolts  pass,  should  be  as  far  from  the  centre  which 
formed  the  said  plate,  as  the  corresponding  hole, 
which  is  on  the  wing  of  the  tray,  is  from  the  centre 
of  the  said  plate ;  that  is  to  say,  that  all  the  holes 
should  have  the  same  radius. 

At  the  back  of  each  of  the  engraved  plates,  two 
grooves  are  made,  which  divide  the  greatest  circum- 
ference, and  approach  the  centre  of  the  swallow-tail ; 
these  are  about  the  eighth  of  an  inch  in  thickness, 
and  pass  down  the  broad  side  of  the  plate,  as  may  be 
seen  upon  its  back  surface. 

These  grooves  are  in  the  place  where  ihe  bands 
pass  which  form  the  wings  of  the  tray  ;  they  are  made 
to  receive  a  hand  saw  with  two  claws  which  are  firmly 
fixed  in  them,  whilst  the  bolts  which  fasten  the 
stamped  plate  are  clasped  upon  the  tray.  Two  hand 
saws  can  be  attached  to  each  plate  instead  of  one,  if 
desirable. 

If  it  is  necessary  to  strengthen  the  wings  of  the 
tray,  instead  of  cross  pieces  a  third  band  may  be 
added,  which  must  also  be  on  a  plane  with  the  bottom 
of  the  tray. 

All  being  thus  adjusted,  a  rotatory  movement  is 


MACHINERY  FOR  MOLDINGS  OF  MARBLE.  101 


given  to  the  apparatus,  by  means  of  a  leather  strap 
which  is  passed  over  a  pulley ;  for  this,  gear  may  be 
substituted. 

The  apparatus  being  thus  put  in  motion  upon  the 
surface  of  the  Marble,  sand  and  water  is  passed  be- 
tween the  wings  of  the  tray ;  and  in  the  rotatory 
movement,  the  hand-saw  cuts  the  Marble  circularly ; 
after  which,  the  weight  of  the  tray  and  that  of  the  ap- 
paratus being  heavier  than  the  balance  weight,  the 
tray  descends,  and  the  stamped  plates  pass  over  the 
Marble  and  retrace  the  moldings  upon  it. 

When  a  round  slab  is  to  be  partially  molded,  the 
inside  of  the  stamped  plate  should  be  slightly  inclined 
towards  the  centre  of  the  tray ;  if  the  slab  is  to  be 
fully  molded,  the  surface  has  only  to  be  left  parallel 
with  the  bottom  of  the  tray,  placing  a  cross  on  it 
formed  by  two  bands  passing' from  one  stamped  plate 
to  the  other.  The  edges  of  the  stamped  plates  are 
cut  sloping  or  somewhat  rounded,  that  they  may  more 
easily  draw  the  sand  with  them  instead  of  repelling 
it;  this  is  also  true  of  the  cross. 

If  a  circular  form  is  required — that  is,  that  the 
middle  of  the  round  slab  should  be  entirely  removed 
— it  is  only  necessary  to  attach  hand-saws  to  the  inte- 
rior circumference  of  the  stamped  plates  like  those  on 
the  exterior  circumference,  only  observing  that  the 
handles  of  these  saws  should  be  attached  to  the  con- 
vex instead  of  the  concave  part. 

Instead  of  the  holes  in  the  branches  which  form  the 


102 


MARBLE  workers'  MANUAL. 


wings  of  the  tray,  these  same  branches  can  be  cleft 
longitudinally  to  the  centre,  so  that  the  bolts  of  the 
plates  of  all  sizes  can  fasten  themselves  upon  the  bands 
of  the  wings  of  the  tray  ;  but  this  does  not  seem  as 
good  a  method  as  that  of  the  holes. 

Instead  of  hand-saws,  an  iron  hoop  may  be  used, 
which,  passing  round  the  edges  of  the  stamped  plates, 
should  be  fastened  by  notches  or  other  means  to  the 
iron  bands  which  form  the  wings  of  the  cross. 


SECTION  FIFTH. 

MACHINERY  FOR  SAWING  AND  MOLDING 
MARBLES. 

§  86.  An  Englishman  by  the  name  of  Tulloch  took 
out  a  patent  of  invention  in  1826  for  a  machine  for 
sawing  stone  and  Marble,  and  which  was  also  suited 
to  the  execution  of  moldings.  The  following  de- 
scription is  given  of  it : 

The  principles  of  this  invention  consist — 
First.  That  the  movable  frames  which  hold  the 
saws  or  molding  tools  employed  for  sawing  or  cut- 
ting different  moldings  in  Marble  or  in  any  other 
kind  of  stone,  descend  in  proportion  as  the  saws  or 
tools  move,  in  such  a  manner  that  these  frames  will 
bave  a  constant  movement  which  will  advance  or  re- 
treat in  a  horizontal  direction,  and  parallel,  or  nearly 


MACHINERY  FOR  SAWING  &  MOLDING  MARBLE.  103 

SO,  with  the  blocks  of  the  saws  or  tools,  and  that,  fur- 
thermore, if  the  block  of  Marble  or  stone  is  softer  oa 
one  side  than  the  other,  the  sawing  or  molding  re- 
sulting from  the  action  of  the  saws  or  tools,  will  not 
advance  more  rapidly  on  the  softer  than  on  the  harder 
side. 

Secondly.  That  during  the  operation  of  sawing,  the 
end  of  the  saw  frames  rise  a  little  near  the  end  of  each 
alternate  movement  in  which  they  advance  or  recede, 
in  such  a  manner  that,  at  the  end  of  each  movement, 
all  the  saws  fixed  in  the  frames  are  alternately  slightly 
raised  to  permit  the  sand  and  water  which  are  usually 
employed  in  the  sawing  of  Marble,  to  pass  freely  be- 
tween the  grooving  of  the  stone  and  the  cutting  press- 
ure of  the  saw  :  this  is  impossible  if  the  saws  are  not 
mounted  to  rise  in  this  mai^ier. 

^87.  Another  French  mechanician  has  proposed 
the  following  method  of  sawing  stone  and  Marble, 
which  he  thus  describes : 

"  I  first  place  the  Marbles  and  stones  which  are  to 
be  sawed,  upon  the  same  plane,  in  such  a  manner  that 
every  stroke  of  the  saw  may  move  in  the  same  line. 

"  I  use  common  saws,  the  handles  of  which  are 
united  and  joined  together  in  such  a  manner  that  the 
set  may  form  a  single,  many-bladed  saw. 

^'  My  large  pulley,  vertically  placed,  and  furnished 
with  a  crank,  draws,  with  the  aid  of  a  movable  bar,  the 
set  of  saws,  which  is  carried  back  to  its  point  of  de- 
parture by  the  bar,  or  by  a  weight  suspended  to  a 


104 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS^  MANUAL. 


chain  passing  over  the  pulley,  and  attached  to  the  last 
of  the  saws. 

"  To  prevent  the  set  of  saws  from  turning  aside  at 
the  commencement  of  the  work,  it  will  be  necessary  to 
guide  it  with  the  hand  until  the  strokes  of  the  saw 
may  be  formed. 

"  Thirty  or  forty  saws  can  thus  be  moved  with  a 
small  power,  and  two  men  will  be  enough  to  moisten 
them,  and  to  set  the  machine  in  motion  in  case  of  its 
stoppage. 

"  General  Application, — The  natural  effect  of  my 
double  apparatus  is,  to  give  to  a  roller  a  rotatory 
movement  in  different  directions;  but  as  known  me- 
chanical means  exist  of  converting  one  kind  of  a  move- 
ment into  another  and  different  kind,  it  follows,  there- 
fore, that  my  machine  is,  in  truth,  a  universal  moving 
power.,  which  can  replace  every  known  force  in  the 
different  needs  of  arts.  This  substitution  will  be 
always  advantageous,  since  the  force  of  the  new  mov- 
ing power  is  enormous,  and  its  establishment  less  ex- 
pensive than  that  of  any  other  moving  power  of  an 
equal  force." 


SECTION  SIXTH. 

MACHINERY  FOR  SCULPTURING  OR  REDUCING. 

§  88.  Many  artists  have  long  been  engaged  in  nu- 
merous experiments,  with  a  view  to  the  discovery  of 


MACHINEPcY  FOR  SCULPTURING. 


105 


.iiechaDical  means  of  sculpturiog,  and  of  reducing  or 
enlarging  sculptured  articles. 

They  have  obtained  successful  results,  at  least  for 
boasting,  and  for  executing  with  facility  certain  works 
which,  with  the  chisel,  would  have  cost  much  time 
and  pains. 

M.  Sauvage,  of  Paris,  took  out,  on  the  third  of 
May,  1836,  a  patent  of  invention  for  a  machine  de- 
signed to  reduce  or  enlarge  statues,  busts,  alto  and 
basso-relievos,  with  all  the  figures  comprised  in  basso- 
relievos.  This  machine  is  composed  of  blades  of  iron, 
copper  and  wood,  which  are  arranged  and  divided  ac- 
cording to  the  principles  of  the  pantograph. 

The  machine  is  mounted  u])on  a  movable  shaft, 
which  procures  for  it  three  cireuiir  movements  direct- 
ed by  a  common  centre. 

Upon  the  right  blade  is  mounted  a  quadrantal  hoop 
adapted  to  a  band,  of  which  the  lower  end  is  fixed  up- 
on the  extremity,  bearing  a  tube  which  is  intended  to 
receive  a  metal  or  wooden  rod,  or  a  roller  which  is 
gently  worked  over  the  surfaces  of  the  article  to  be 
reduced. 

The  extremity  also  supports  a  tube  which  admits 
burins,  etching  needles,  or  drills,  for  wor^^ing  upon  any 
material,  whether  Marble,  stone,  wood  or  metal. 

This  apparatus  is  fixed  upon  a  hollow  rest,  in  order 
to  be  able  to  ascend,  descend,  advance  or  retreat, 
according  to  the  proportions  of  the  work  to  be  exe- 
cuted. 


106  THE  MARBLE  WORKERS^  MANUAL. 

Two  vertical  shafts  rigged  with  notched  wheels  are 
placed  in  an  iron  casing  ;  the  upper  extremities  of 
these  shafts  bear  slabs  intended  to  place  the  original, 
and  to  receive  the  material  for  the  reproduction  of 
the  copy. 

These  shafts  turn  in  the  same  direction  by  means 
of  an  intermediate  wheel,  or  by  double  leather  straps. 

^  89.  M.  Dutel  also  proposed  another  machine  in 
the  same  year,  and  has  taken  out  several  successive 
patents  of  invention  and  improvement. 

"  To  demonstrate  in  the  clearest  and  most  precise 
manner,  the  plan  of  the  machine  of  which  I  am  the 
inventor,"  says  he,  ^'  I  have  thought  it  best  to  give 
the  designs  separately,  in  respect  to  their  different 
applications  and  uses. 

These  designs  number  four,  representing  four  ma- 
chines. The  first  is  intended  to  reproduce,  in  any 
kind  of  material,  sculptures  in  the  kind  called  basso- 
relievo,  and  of  dimensions  equaling  the  model. 

The  second  is  designed  to  reproduce  sculptures,  as 
the  first,  of  dimensions  equaling  the  model,  but  of 
the  kind  called  alto-relievo.  • 

The  third  is  suited  to  the  reproduction  of  sculp- 
tures in  the  kind  called  basso-relievo,  but  of  greater 
or  lesser  dimensions  than  the  original  model;  that  is, 
it  reduces  or  enlarges  it  a  third,  one-half,  or  three- 
quarters. 

The  fourth  is  designed  for  and  suited  to,  the  repro- 
duction of  sculptures  in  the  kind  called  alto-relievo, 


MACHINERY  FOR  SCULPTURING. 


107 


such  as  statues,  busts,  etc.,  but,  like  the  preceding,  of 
greater  or  lesser  dimensions  than  the  original  model ; 
that  is  to  say,  it  enlarges  or  reduces  them  one-third, 
one-half,  or  three-quarters." 

M.  Dutel,  after  giving  a  detailed  description  of  his 
machinery,  concludes  with  the  following  important 
observation  : 

It  is  proper  to  say  that  the  /raises  of  either  of 
these  machines  can  be  replaced  by  tools  of  the  same 
shape  and  size,  but  not  cut  out  like  the  /raises^  and 
not  tempered ;  so  that  they  may  be  used  with  dia- 
mond dust,  in  case  that  hard  stones  are  to  be  worked." 

§  90.  A  third  Parisian,  M.  Duperrey,  also  took 
out  in  1846,  a  patent  of  invention  for  fifteen  years 
for  a  machine  for  sculpturing,  which  he  improved  up- 
on sufficiently  to  take  out  a  second  patent  on  the  twen- 
ty-eighth of  May,  1847,  in  which  the  following  obser- 
vations are  found  : 

^'  The  original  description,  submitted  with  the  claim 
for  the  patent,  demonstrated  that,  by  the  aid  of  this 
new  machine,  one  could  obtain  at  pleasure  sculptures 
in  basso  or  alto-relievos,  or  even  in  guilloches,  similar 
to  those  produced  by  the  carving  lathe.  This  ma- 
chine permits  the  sculpture  of  several  pieces  at  the 
same  time,  either  exactly  copying  the  model  or  en- 
larging it ;  the  proportions  of  course,  being  regulated 
in  order  to  obtain  the  relative  proportions  of  the  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  articles  which  are  to  be  repro- 
duced. 


108 


marele  workers'  manual. 


^^^Yta  original  ir.acbine  worked  very  well,  but  it  did 
not  produce  enough  articles  at  one  time,  which  in- 
creased the  cost  of  the  copying  too  much.  Further- 
more, I  have  perfected  several  details  which  permit 
me  to  modif)^  ibe  construction  of  the  whole,  with  the 
view  of  causing  the  tools  t;0  work  during  the  going  in 
and  out  of  the  sliding  puncheon. 

In  the  first  machine,  all  the  tools  could  only  repro- 
duce the  same  model,  since  they  were  all  guided  by  a 
single  key. 

In  the  new  machine  the  improvement  is,  that  each 
tool  can  w  '^rk  upon  one  piece  and  reproduce  a  specific 
model,  which  can  also  be  done  by  all  the  tools  of  the 
machine ;  still  more,  all  the  tools  can  work  at  the  exe- 
cution of  the  same  piece,  and  all  can  be  directed,  by 
a  single  key,  to  work  upon  one  model. 

This  new  arrangement  permits  the  manufacture, 
either  of  a  great  number  of  pieces  at  the  same  time 
after  different  rnodels,  or  of  a  piece  of  large  size  in  a 
verv  short  time ;  as  all  the  tools  which  the  machine 
possesses  can  assist  in  the  execution  of  the  piece." 

We  will  briefly  add  that  this  machine  is  com- 
posed— 

Firstly.  Of  two  parallel  slides,  placed  horizontally 
— nr  ^^  being  designed  to  support  the  model  to  be 
copied,  and  the  other,  the  material  necessary  for  its 
reproduction. 

Secondly.  Of  a  support  in  which  the  keys  and  the 
tools  move;  this  support  is  placed  between  the  two 


slides,  and  the  upper  part  is  rigged  with  ke^^^j^^ej^\ 
ceive  all  the  movements  of  relief  of  the  models  pHifSe^*^' 
above  these  keys,  in  order  to  communicate  them  to  the 
tools  which  are  mounted  on  the  lower  part  of  this  support. 

M.  Duperrey  concludes  his  exposition  and  the  de- 
scription of  his  machine  by  this  observation  :  Flutings 
for  the  feet  of  tables  can  also  be  made  in  the  same 
manner,  by  placing  the  molding  tools  into  the  tool 
casings  ;  then,  by  making  a  line  under  the  key,  flutings 
can  also  be  made  of  the  desired  form,  and  in  a  num- 
ber determined  by  the  dividing  plate  which  serves  for 
the  guillochage. 

These  accounts  are  of  a  nature  to  interest  amateur 
artists  greatly,  but  they  exceed  the  practical  ideas  of 
the  Marble  workers ;  for  which  reason,  we  shall  not 
extend  our  remarks  upon  this  subject,  to  which  we 
must,  however,  direct  their  attention. 


SECTION  SEVENTH. 

OF  MASTICS. 

^  9U  Mastics  for  stopping  up  holes,  leakages,  or 
cracks  in  Marbles,  must  not  be  confounded  with  those 
which  serve  to  cement  them  together,  or  to  consolidate 
them  perfectly  ;  these  are  used  for  veneering  or  pave- 
ments.   The  first  is  made  with  gum  lac,  colored,  as 


110 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS'  MANUAL. 


nearly  as  possible,  to  imitate  the  Marble  upon  which 
it  is  used.  Sometimes  the  gum  is  mixed  with  Marble 
dust  passed  through  a  silken  sieve  ;  in  other  cases, 
little  pieces  are  used,  which  are  cut  and  adjusted  in 
the  hole  or  fissure  to  be  repaired,  and  glued  there  with 
the  gum  mastic — the  precaution  being  first  taken  to 
heat  the  Marble  and  the  pieces,  and  to  take  measures 
for  producing  a  perfect  cohesion.  The  cementing 
mastics  merit  the  attention  of  proprietors  as  well  as 
workmen,  because  it  is  often  on  account  of  the  use  of 
those  of  inferior  quality,  that  works  in  cemented 
pieces  deteriorate  and  lose  their  value. 

^  92.  In  the  first  rank  should  be  placed  the  thick 
mastic,  composed  of  two  parts  wax,  three  of  Bur- 
gundy pitch,  and  eight  of  resin  ;  melt  this,  and  then 
throw  it  into  spring  water  to  solidify  the  paste,  then 
roll  it  into  sticks,  and,  in  using  it,  melt  only  such  a 
portion  as  is  needed  for  your  work ;  this  precaution 
will  preserve  its  strength,  as  the  remainder  becomes 
more  brittle  by  heating  it  anew. 

§  93.  The  Corbel  mastic,  which  is  used  in  the  seams 
of  the  flagging  of  stairways  and  terraces,  is  easily  com- 
pounded. 

Take  six  parts  of  the  cement  of  good  Burgundy  tile 
without  any  other  mixture,  pass  it  through  a  silken 
sieve,  add  one  part  of  pure  white  lead,  and  as  much 
litharge,  steep  the  whole  in  three  parts  of  linseed  oil 
and  one  of  lard  oil,  and  preserve  it  in  cakes  or  rolls 
as  the  preceding.    All  the  materials  used  should  be 


OF  MASTICS. 


Ill 


thoroughly  dry,  in  order  that  they  may  perfectly  mix 
with  the  oil  which  unites  them. 

^94.  Fountain  mastic  is  compounded  of  the  rub- 
bish of  stone  ware  or  of  Burgundy  tile,  amalgamated 
with  thick  mastic  in  such  a  manner  as  to  form  a  paste 
proportioned  to  the  use  for  which  it  is  required  ;  this 
is  one  of  the  easiest  to  prepare. 

Mastic  of  filings  is  employed  in  the  same  uses  as 
the  preceding,  as  well  as  in  places  which  are  usually 
damp,  or  which  constantly  receive  water,  as  curb-stones, 
flaggings  of  kitchens,  bath-rooms  and  water-closets, 
and  stone  troughs  composed  of  several  pieces,  either 
separate  or  clasped.  This  mastic,  which  is  very  good 
when  properly  used,  is  composed  of  a  mixture  of 
twenty-six  and  a  half  pounds  of  iron  filings,  or  of  iron 
and  copper,  such  as  are  found  among  spur  makers,  but 
which  must  not  be  rusty,  four  and  a  half  pounds  of 
salt,  and  four  garlics  ;  this  is  infused  for  twenty-four 
hours  into  three  and  a  half .  pints  of  good  vinegar  and 
urine ;  it  is  then  poured  off,  and  the  thick  paste  which 
is  found  at  the  bottom  of  the  vessel  is  the  mastic, 
which  should  be  immediately  used. 

These  mastics  should  be  used  upon  materials  which 
are  perfectly  dry,  otherwise  they  do  not  incorporate 
well,  roll  up,  and  are  repelled  by  the  moisture.  There- 
fore, in  executing  this  kind  of  work,  the  precaution 
should  be  taken  to  choose  dry  weather,  and  to  open  the 
seams  well  with  a  curved,  sharp  instrument,  finally 
polishing  them  with  the  chisel. 


112  THE  MARBLE  WORKERS^  MANUAL. 


Before  laying  down  the  mastic,  the  dust  must  be 
removed  from  the  seam  by  blowing  into  it  with  a  com- 
mon bellows  ;  a  long,  straight,  iron  chafing  dish,  closed 
at  the  bottom,  with  the  grate  elevated  about  an  inch 
to  obtain  a  current  of  air,  is  then  passed  over  the 
seam  ;  this  chafing  dish  is  filled  with  burning  char- 
coal, the  caloric  of  which  draws  out  the  moisture  from 
the  stone  or  Marble. 

The  slightest  dust  or  the  least  dampness,  hinders 
the  adherence  of  every  mastic ;  water  infiltrates,  and, 
when  it  does  not  immediately  affect  it,  it  will  glide 
through  after  the  least  frost,  after  which  it  is  impos- 
sible to  remedy  it.  It  is  these  infiltrations  which 
cause  so  many  proprietors  to  object  to  flaggings  and 
other  works  of  this  kind. 

^  95.  The  Dilh  mastic  is,  undoubtedly,  the  best  that 
is  known,  but  its  composition  is  yet  a  secret ;  it  is  very 
costly,  and  its  uniform  color  of  a  dirty  white,  renders 
it  unsuitable  for  many  works  in  Marble,  for  which 
reasons  it  is  not  much  used  by  Marble  workers. 

There  are  others  which  we  do  not  strongly  recom- 
mend, because  we  do  not  consider  them  sufficiently 
tested ;  we  shall  point  them  out,  however,  that  they 
may  be  experimented  on. 

MASTIC  FOR  CEMENTING  MARBLES. 

§  96.  The  Mastic  used  by  Marble  workers  for  glu- 
ing and  consolidating  Marbles  is  of  gum  lac,  colored. 
But  this  mastic,  which  is  applied  hot,  only  produces 


masons'  mastic  fopw  cisterns,  etc. 


113 


a  strong  cohesion  when  the  Marble  is  also  heated, 
which  it  is  not  always  easy  to  do. 

No  good  cold  mastic  is  known  to  Marble  workers,  and 
the  discovery  of  one  would  render  a  very  great  service 
to  their  art.    The  following  recipe  claims  this  merit : 

To  compound  this  mastic,  take — 

Hydrochlorate  of  ammonia,  2  parts. 

Flour  of  sulphur,  1  part. 

Iron  filings,  16  parts. 

Keduce  these  substances  to  a  powder,  and  preserve 
the  mixture  in  closely  stopped  vessels.  When  the 
cement  is  used,  take  twenty  parts  of  very  fine  iron 
filings,  add  one  part  of  the  above  powder,  mix  them 
together,  adding  sufficient  water  to  form  a  manage- 
able paste  ;  this  paste,  which  is  used  for  cementing, 
solidifies  in  fifteen  days  or  three  weeks,  in  such  a  man- 
ner as  to  become  as  hard  as  iron. 

MASONS'  MASTIC   FOR  COATING  THE  INSIDE  OF 
CISTERNS,  BASINS,  ETC. 

§  97.  Pulverized  baked  bricks,  2  parts. 

Quick  lime,  2  parts. 

"Wood  ashes,  2  parts. 

Mix  these  three  substances  thoroughly,  and  dilute 
them  with  olive  oil.  This  mastic  hardens  immediate- 
ly in  the  air,  and  never  cracks  beneath  the  water. 


114  THE  MARBLE   WORKERS^  MANUAL, 


SECTION  EIGHTH. 

UNIVERSAL  CEMENT. 

§  98.  To  compound  this,  a  quantity  of  mastic  should 
be  dissolved  in  highly  rectified  spirits  of  wine,  only 
enough  of  the  spirits  being  used  to  effect  the  solution 
of  the  mastic. 

Then  soak  an  equal  quantity  of  isinglass  or  fish- 
glue  until  it  is  thoroughly  softened.  Dissolve  this  in 
a  quantity  of  rum  or  brandy  sufiicient  to  form  a  strong 
glue^  to  which  add  half  the  weight  of  gum  ammoniac 
finely  pulverized. 

Thus  for  thirty  penny-weights  of  the  mastic,  thirty 
penny-weights  of  isinglass  and  fifteen  of  gum  ammo- 
niac will  be  necessary.  The  quantity  of  spirits  and 
brandy  depends  on  their  quality ;  the  stronger  the 
liquors,  the  less  of  them  is  needed,  and  the  better 
will  be  the  mixture. 

Warm  these  two  mixtures  together  over  a  slow  fire, 
and  when  they  are  well  mixed,  place  them  in  bottles, 
which  must  be  hermetically  sealed.  This  cement  be- 
comes perfectly  dry  in  twelve  or  fifteen  hours. 

When  the  mastic  is  to  be  used,  the  bottle  should 
be  heated  in  a  water  bath  to  liquefy  it ;  the  fragments 


THE  ATELIER  OF  THE  MARBLE  WORKER.  115 


should  also  be  heated  before  sizing  them,  and  the  sur- 
faces well  cleansed,  as  a  matter  of  course. 

Those  who  give  this  recipe,  say  that  glass,  crock- 
ery, etc.,  when  thus  restored,  are  as  solid  as  before 
having  been  broken,  and  that  the  seams  are  hardly 
visible ;  but  experience  proves  that  these  seams,  al- 
though imperceptible  at  the  time  of  the  operation, 
soon  soil  for  want  of  the  perfect  polish  of  the  remain- 
der of  the  article ;  this  diminishes  the  advantages  of 
the  cementing. 

COMPOSITION  OF  THE  ATELIER  OF  THE  MARBLE 
WORKER. 

§  99.  The  Atelier  of  the  Marble  worker  is  thus 
composed  : 

Of  one  or  several  benches,  stronger  and  lower  than 
those  used  by  joiners.  This  is  very  necessary,  as  ar- 
ticles of  great  weight  are  worked  on  these  tables.  (See 
fig.  33.) 

Of  several  saws  of  different  sizes,  (fig  59,  60,  and 
63.) 

The  last  is  held  by  one  or  more  screw  nuts,  one 
being  placed  as  in  fig.  60,  the  other  in  the  middle. — 
The  braces  of  this  saw  are  often  modified;  they  are 
formed  here  of  a  collar  and  screw  nut ;  sometimes  the 
flat  bar  is  bored  and  rigged  with  teeth  entering  into 
these  holes,  to  shorten  or  extend  the  frame.  This 
Ti^akes  a  strong  draught,  which  lasts  much  longer 


116  THE   MARBLE  WORKERS'  MANUAL. 


than  a  rope,  and  is  not  susceptible  to  the  changes  of 
the  atmosphere. 

Of  sebillas,  or  wooden  bowls  for  holding  the  sand 
and  water  which  should  be  thrown  under  the  saw. 
(fig.  61.) 

Of  wooden  or  metal  ladles  with  long  handles,  to 
take  from  the  sebillas  the  sand  and  water  necessary 
for  the  sawers  of  the  Marble,  who  can  thus  work  the 
saw  with  one  hand,  moistening  it  with  the  other,  (fig. 
56.) 

Of  handsaws  without  teeth,  used  in  cutting  stone 
or  Marble  with  the  aid  of  sand  and  water.  A  skill- 
ful workman  often  confines  himself  to  making  a  deep 
groove  in  the  Marble  or  stone,  and  then  by  a  quick 
blow,  separates  the  two  pieces,    (fig.  62.) 

Of  martelines,  a  kind  of  iron  mallets  pointed  at 
one  end,  and  diamond  shaped  at  the  other,  which  serve 
to  pierce  and  shell  off  the  Marble  without  splintering 
it.    (fig  34.) 

Of  marteline  chisels,  used  for  the  same  purposes, 
and  worked  with  the  aid  of  the  sledge  hammer  or 
mallet,    (figs.  2,  4,  19,  20,  and  64.) 

Of  puncheons,  (fig.  5.) 

Of  a  square  etching  needle,    (fig.  1.) 

Of  etching  needles  called  houguettes^  partly  flat- 
tened, and  sharp,    (figs.  8,  9,  27  and  28.) 

Of  hooks  for  sinking  and  levelling  cavities,  (fig. 
10.) 


THE  ATELIER   OF  THE  MARBLE  WORKER.  117 


Of  round  nosed  chisels,  used  for  the  same  pur- 
pose,   (fig  11.) 

Of  sharp  edged  and  notched  scrapers  for  sinking 
flutings.    (fig.  12.) 

Of  scrapers  for  the  same  purpose,    (fig.  19.) 

Of  parting  tools ;  a  kind  of  flattened  files,  bent 
round  and  steeled  at  each  end,  to  smooth  those  places 
most  difficult  to  penetrate,    (fig.  31.) 

Of  parting  tools  in  round  file,  and  half  flattened  in 
rasps,  used  for  the  same  object,    (fig.  22.) 

Of  German  files,  flattened  on  one  side,  and  partly 
rounded  on  the  other,    (fig.  16.) 

Of  round  files,    (fig.  14.) 

Of  rasps,  partly  rounded  on  one  side,  and  flattened 
on  the  other,    (fig.  13.) 

Of  rasps  in  round  file.    (fig.  23.) 
Of  gravers  or  burins,    (fig.  27.) 
Of  clasps,    (fig.  28.) 

Of  wimbles,  upon  which  augurs  are  fixed  for  boring 
the  marble,    (fig.  36.) 
Of  mallets,    (fig.  64.) 

Of  iron  sledge  hammers,    (figs.  65  and  66.) 

Of  hinged  compasses,    (figs.  68  and  71.) 

Of  compasses  of  depth,    (figs.  53  and  54.) 

Of  iron  squares,    (fig.  43.) 

Of  levels,    (fig.  77.) 

Of  rules,    (figs.  47,  48,  and  49.) 

Of  shifting  bevels,  or  hinged  squares,    (fig.  46.) 


118 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS'  MANUAL. 


This  nomenclature  is  not  complete,  but  it  contains 
all  the  essential  tools. 

We  have  not  spoken  of  cushions,  or  chafing  dishes, 
or  of  pots  for  melting  mastic,  because  the  form  of 
these  is  immaterial. 

The  tools  we  have  indicated  are  used  by  twos,  threes, 
or  sometimes  by  dozens,  according  to  the  nature  of 
the  work,  and  the  number  of  workmen  employed  in 
the  establishment.  It  is  necessary  to  say,  however, 
that  the  more  one  has,  the  more  are  lost,  or  even  bro- 
ken, because  the  workmen  take  much  better  care  of 
the  tools  when  they  are  few,  than  when  they  can  easily 
conceal  all  traces  of  their  carelessness.  Notwith- 
standing, one  should  have  a  great  number  of  the 
sharp  and  edged  tools,  else  much  time  will  be  lost  in 
going  to  the  forge  or  grindstone. 

There  is  a  simple  method  of  avoiding  the  abuses 
of  which  we  have  just  spoken,  and  one  that  is  in  use 
in  some  Marble  yards ;  namely,  that  of  giving  the 
works  by  the  piece,  without  furnishing  the  tools. 


loxtxtl)  ^axt 


OF  ARTIFICIAL  MARBLES  AND  STUCCOS. 


SECTION  FIRST. 
OF  THE  IMITATION  OF  MARBLES  IN  GENERAL. 

^  100-  Artificial  Marbles  have  one  incontestable 
advantage  over  the  natural  ones ;  that  of  composing 
surfaces  of  a  great  extent  without  seams  or  clasps,  and 
of  adhering  so  closely  to  the  mason  work  that,  when 
dry,  they  form  part  of  the  same  body.  Of  all  the 
methods  of  imitating  Marble,  there  is  none  better 
than  the  composition  of  stuccos  which  has  been  long 
in  use ;  these  produce  a  beautiful  effect  in  buildings. 
We  shall  explain  the  manner  of  their  composition  and 
application.  We  shall  then  speak  of  other  artificial 
Marbles,  of  painting  upon  and  coloring  Marble,  and 
shall  conclude  this  part  with  interesting  information 
relative  to  the  manufacture  of  Venetian  terraces. 


120 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS'  MANUAL. 


SECTION  SECOND. 

OF  STUCCOS. 

^101.  Stucco  is  a  composition  of  a  mixture  of  slaked 
lime,  chalk,  and  pulverized  white  Marble  tempered 
in  water,  designed  to  imitate  different  Marbles  used  in 
the  interior  of  buildings  or  monuments. 

There  are  different  species  of  it,  which  may  also  have 
different  bases. 

Lime  was  formerly  considered  the  only  base  of 
stucco.  Our  ideas  have  become  greatly  modified  in 
this  respect,  but  it  is  not  yet  proved  that  that  which 
we  make  is  superior  to  that  of  former  times. 

However  this  may  be,  as  the  hardness  which  the 
plaster  may  acquire  is  the  most  essential  point  in  this 
art,  it  is  to  this  that  the  workmen  should  first  apply 
themselves. 

This  wholly  depends  upon  the  degree  of  calcination 
which  is  given  to  the  plaster  ;  and,  as  the  stone  which 
produces  it  is  susceptible  of  some  slight  difference  in 
its  intrinsic  quality,  according  to  the  locality  in  which 
it  was  found,  one  must  study  the  degree  of  calcina- 
tion necessary  to  give  the  plaster  the  greatest  possible 


OF  STUCCOS. 


121 


degree  of  hardness.  The  ideas  which  we  give  here 
relate  only  to  the  plaster  of  Paris. 

Break  the  plaster  stones  in  pieces  somewhat  larger 
than  a  large  nut,  put  these  in  an  oven  heated  as  if 
for  baking  bread,  and  close  the  mouth  of  the  oven. 
After  some  time  has  elapsed  open  the  oven  and  take 
out  one  or  two  of  the  pieces,  break  these  with  a  ham- 
mer, and  if  the  calcination  has  penetrated  to  the  cen- 
tre of  the  piece  so  that  a  few  bright  points  can  be 
seen  there,  it  denotes  that  it  has  arrived  at  its  point 
of  perfection  ;  then  draw  out  all  the  plaster  as  quickly 
as  possible  with  a  rake.  If  many  of  these  brilliants 
are  seen  in  the  breakage,  or  none  at  all  are  visible 
there,  it  proves  in  the  first  case,  that  the  stone  is  not 
sufficiently  calcined,  and,  in  the  latter,  that  it  is  too 
much  so. 

Although  the  plaster  becomes  very  hard  when  pro- 
perly calcined,  the  surface  is  filled  with  a  multitude 
of  pores,  and  the  grains  are  too  easily  detached  from 
it  to  admit  the  polishing  of  it  as  of  Marble.  To  re- 
medy this  objection,  the  plaster  is  diluted  with  water 
in  which  glue  has  been  dissolved,  which,  filling  the 
pores  and  fastening  the  grains  together,  permits  the 
leveling  and  removing  of  the  half  of  each  grain,  thus 
forming  the  polish. 

Flanders  glue  is  commonly  used ;  some,  however, 
mix  with  it  isinglass,  and  even  gum  Arabic.  Hot 
glue  water  is  used  for  the  solution  of  the  plaster,  as 
the  want  of  solidity  of  the  plaster,  especially  when  it 


THE  MARBLE  WORKER s'  MANTTAL. 


is  not  supported,  demands  that  a  certain  thickness 
should  be  given  to  the  works  ;  to  lessen  the  -expense, 
the  body  or  core  of  the  work  is  made  of  common 
plaster,  which  is  covered  with  the  composition  of  which 
we  have  just  spoken,  giving  it  about  an  inch  in  thick- 
ness. 

When  the  work  is  sufficiently  dry,  it  is  polished  in 
nearly  the  same  manner  as  the  veritable  Marble.  A 
kind  of  stone  is  comrrionly  used  which  is  quite  difficult 
to  procure.  This  is  a  species  of  cos  or  coticular  stone, 
which  has  finer  grains  than  the  sandstone,  and  which 
are  not  so  easily  detached  from  it.  Pumice  stone  may 
also  be  used. 

The  work  is  rubbed  by  the  stone  in  one  hand,  the 
other  holding  a  sponge  filled  with  water,  with  w^hich 
the  spot  which  has  just  been  rubbed,  is  instantly 
cleansed,  in  order  to  remove  what  had  been  left  on  the 
surface  of  the  work;  the  sponge  should  be  frequently 
washed  and  kept  always  filled  with  fresh  water.  It  is 
then  rubbed  with  a  linen  cushion,  with  water,  and 
chalk  or  tripoli  stone.  Coals  of  willow,  finely  pulver- 
ized and  sifted,  or  even  pieces  of  whole  coals  are  sub- 
stituted for  this  to  penetrate  better  to  the  bottom  of  the 
moldings,  water  being  always  used  with  the  sponge 
which  absorbs  it. 

The  work  is  finished  by  rubbing  it  with  a  piece  of 
felt  soaked  with  oil  and  finely  powdered  with  tripoli 
stone,  and  afterwards  with  the  felt  moistened  with  the 
oil  alone. 


OF  STUCCOS. 


123 


When  a  color  is  wished  in  the  ground,  it  is  only 
necessary  to  dilute  it  in  the  glue  water,  before  making 
use  of  it  to  temper  the  plaster. 

The  stones  for  polishing  can  be  adjusted  to  pieces 
of  wood  after  the  manner  of  jointers,  or  other  joiner's 
tools ;  the  surfaces  of  the  work  can  thus  be  better 
prepared  and  the  moldings  more  exact;  it  must  not, 
however,  be  forgotten  to  always  wash  it  in  proportion 
to  the  rubbing. 

When  any  particular  Marble  is  to  be  imitated,  di- 
lute with  warm  glue  water,  in  different  small  pots,  the 
colors  which  are  found  in  the  Marble  ;  with  each  of 
these  colors  temper  a  little  plaster,  then  make  of  each 
a  pebble  nearly  as  large  as  the  hand,  place  these  peb- 
bles alternately  one  above  another,  making  those  of 
the  prevailing  color  more  numerous,  or  thicker. 

Turn  these  pebbles,  thus  arranged,  upon  the  side, 
and  cut  them  in  slices  in  this  direction,  instantly 
spreading  them  upon  the  core  of  the  work,  or  upon 
a  flat  surface. 

By  this  means,  the  fantastical  design  of  the  various 
colors  with  which  the  Marble  is  penetrated,  will  be 
represented.  If  it  is  desired  to  imitate  the  Breceian 
Marbles,  mix  in  the  composition  of  these  pebbles,  when 
spread  upon  the  core,  pieces  of  plaster  of  different 
sizes  tempered  with  the  color  of  the  Breccia,  and 
these  pieces,  being  flattened  down,  represent  it  very 
well.  It  should  be  remarked  that  in  all  these  opera- 
tions the  glue  water  should  be  warm,  without  which 


124 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS^  MANUAL. 


the  plaster  will  set  too  quickly,  without  giving  time 
to  work. 

^  102.  When  objects  are  to  be  represented  on  a  colored 
ground — such  as  forests,  landscapes,  rocks,  and  vases  of 
fruit  and  flowers — design  them  upon  paper.  Then  punc- 
ture the  outlines  of  the  designed  figures,  place  them  on 
the  ground  work  when  the  polishing  is  nearly  finished, 
and  pounce  them  with  a  color  differing  from  that  of  the 
ground  ;  that  is,  of  a  black  or  red  if  the  ground  is 
white,  and  of  white  if  the  ground  is  black.  Preserve 
the  outlines  marked  by  the  pounce  by  sinking  them 
deeply  with  the  point  of  a  shoemaker's  awl,  after 
which,  with  several  awls  converted  into  small  chisels 
by  breaking  off  the  points  and  sharpening  them  upon 
a  grind-stone,  remove  all  the  ground  which  is  included 
in  the  outlines  of  the  ground  which  has  been  traced, 
thus  forming  cavities  on  the  ground  of  about  the  third 
of  an  inch  in  depth. 

^  1 03.  When  all  that  is  contained  within  the  outlines 
has  been  thus  removed,  procure  several  little  pots  or 
cups  holding  sand  from  the  fire  or  hot  ashes,  upon 
which  pour  glue  water  mixed  with  different  colors;  take 
a  little  of  the  plaster  in  the  palm  of  the  hand,  color 
it  more  or  less  by  carefully  mixing  it  with  the  colored 
water,  stir  up  the  whole  upon  the  palm  of  the  hand 
with  a  painter's  coloring  knife,  until  the  plaster  be- 
gins to  acquire  some  consistency,  then  take  with  the 
knife  a  quantity  deemed  sufl5cient,  which  place  on  one 
side  of  the  interior  of  the  cavity  of  the  figure  to  be 


OF  STUCCOS. 


125 


represented,  pressing  it  with  the  knife,  and  smoothing 
the  surface  of  the  colored  plaster  which  has  just  been 
placed,  and  which  joins  the  outlines  of  the  figure. 

Then  mix  immediately  in  the  hand  another  colored 
plaster,  but  of  a  lighter  shade  than  the  first,  which 
place  in  the  same  cavity,  by  the  side  of  the  first ;  pre- 
pare four  or  five  needles,  by  thrusting  them  parallelly 
by  the  head  into  a  small  stick  like  the  teeth  of  a 
comb,  with  which  mix  the  last  color  slightly  with  the 
first,  so  that  the  passage  from  one  shade  to  the  other 
may  not  be  perceptible,  and  that  the  degradation  may 
be  visible. 

Continue  thus  to  place  the  brighter  shades  on  the 
side  of  the  light,  until  the  excavation  of  the  figure  to 
be  represented  shall  be  wholly  filled.  Finally,  flatten 
the  whole  lightly  with  the  knife,  and  leave  it  to  dry. 

If,  after  the  polishing,  it  is  perceived  that  the  shades 
are  not  distinct  in  any  place,  hatchings  may  be  made 
in  this  place  with  an  etching  needle,  and  a  darker  col- 
ored and  very  liquid  plaster  inserted  ;  these  hatchings 
must  be  quite  deep,  that  they  may  not  be  destroyed 
by  the  polishing  which  must  afterwards  be  given  to 
the  whole  work.  This  last  method  is  used  for  cutting 
out  the  leaves  of  trees,  plants,  etc. 

Undecided  figures — as  ruins,  rocks,  caverns,  etc. — 
generally  unite  much  better  in  this  kind  of  painting 
than  figures  which  demand  exactness  in  the  shading 
and  correctness  of  design. 

The  paintings  are  polished  in  the  same  manner  as 


126 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS^  MANUAL. 


the  grounds,  and  if  any  little  holes  are  discovered 
while  polishing,  fill  them  with  plaster  thinly  diluted 
with  glue  water,  and  of  the  same  color.  It  is  even 
common,  before  using  the  oil  for  the  polish,  to  pass  a 
general  tint  of  colored  plaster  and  very  clear  water 
over  the  whole  surface,  in  order  to  stop  these  small 
holes. 

For  all  these  operations  the  best  and  finest  plaster 
should  be  chosen  ;  that  which  is  transparent  seems  to 
merit  the  preference. 

For  the  colors,  says  the  author  of  this  process,  all 
are  suitable  which  are  employed  in  fresco  painting. 

As  it  may  seem  strange  that,  in  this  manner  of 
painting,  we  should  have  directed  the  use  of  the  palm 
of  the  hand  as  a  palette,  we  will  give  the  reason  for 
it.  When  a  person  dilutes  the  plaster  with  the  col- 
ored water,  he  is  obliged  to  use  a  certain  quantity  of 
water  which  would  run  off  if  placed  upon  a  palette; 
by  making  a  hollow  in  the  palm  of  his  hand,  he  re- 
tains it,  and,  by  extending  his  fingers  in  proportion  to 
the  setting  of  the  plaster,  this  singular  palette,  which 
was  at  first  hollow,  becomes  flat  when  necessary.  In 
addition  to  this,  the  heat  of  the  hand  prevents  the 
plaster  from  setting  too  quickly. 

Stucco  is  used  either  for  ornaments,  or  for  facings 
upon  coats  of  impression:  these  last  are  composed, 
according  to  the  methods  described  by  Yitruvius,  of 
several  layers  of  mortar  made  with  lime  and  pozzo- 
laira.    The  stucco  which  was  called  by  the  ancients 


OF  STUCCOS. 


127 


opus  albarimn^  on  account  of  its  whiteness,  or  mar- 
moratum^  because  it  imitated  Marble,  which  was  also 
included  in  its  composition,  was  placed  upon  the  last 
layer  of  the  coat ;  this  is  of  a  finer  and  thinner  paste. 
It  seems  to  have  been  made  with  a  species  of  foliated 
gypsum,  calcined  and  pulverized,  which  produced  a 
beautiful  plaster.  When  using  it,  the  workmen  mixed 
with  it  the  same  stone  pulverized,  but  not  calcined ; 
in  order,  doubtless,  to  replace  the  Marble  dust,  they 
compressed  this  last  coating  to  give.it  more  consis- 
tency and  lustre.  Some  visible  traces  of  pressure 
which  have  been  found  in  several  places,  perfectly  ac- 
cord with  what  Yitruvius  has  said,  and  have  even 
given  reason  for  the  conjecture  that  the  instrument 
used  in  this  operation,  called  by  him  haculi^  was  a 
kind  of  metal  rule,  light  enough  for  the  ends  to  sup- 
port the  prepared  bands  which  serve  as  regulators  to 
the  workman. 

^  104.  Such  were  the  methods  of  our  ancestors,  and 
in  practicing  them  they  made  in  stucco  the  panels, 
columns,  and  pilasters  which  excite  the  admiration 
of  men  to  whom  ornament  in  architecture  is  a  pleas- 
ure, and  a  means  of  satisfying  a  noble  pride — since  it 
cultivates  a  taste  for  the  beautiful,  and  encourages 
the  development  of  the  arts. 

It  has  long  been  observed  that  the  palaces,  chateaux, 
and  houses  in  which  stucco  was  employed  for  peris- 
tyles, stairways,  and  banquet  halls,  were  always  em- 
bellished with  paintings,  columns,  and  vases,  either 


128 


THE  MARBLE   WORKEP..S  MANUAL. 


in  concurrence  with  the  stuccOj  or  in  the  neighboring 
apartments.  We  have  never  seen  anything  more 
beautiful  than  the  chateau  de  Mereville,  on  the  beau- 
tiful estate  of  that  name,  in  which  M.  de  la  Borde  has 
collected  all  the  choicest  productions  of  the  arts. 

Tins  hall  was  adorned  with  columns  of  white  stucco, 
between  which  were  panels  of  the  same  style,  in  which 
was  hung  four  beautiful  marine  pieces  of  Vernet. 

One  can  easily  imagine  that,  entering  in  such  a 
room  as  the  peristyle  of  the  apartments,  they  would 
penetrate  into  saloons  of  the  greatest  magnificence. 

The  use  which  has  just  been  made  of  stuccos  in  the 
Palace  of  Foreign  Affairs,  on  the  banks  of  the  Seine, 
also  supports  what  we  have  just  said.  Thus  stuccos 
are  not  enemies  of  Marble;  on  the  contrary,  they  in- 
crease the  demand  for  it. 

It  is  not  advisable  then  to  neglect  them  ;  we  should, 
on  the  contrary,  encourage  all  essays  tending  to  dimin- 
ish their  price,  and  to  render  them  popular. 

We  will  speak,  then,  of  processes  indicated  in  1836, 
by  a  Mr.  Burrows,  an  Englishman,  who  imported 
among  us  methods  of  manufacturing  stuccos  and  ce- 
ments in  hard  stones. 

In  the  first  place,"  says  he,  for  a  plaster  cement, 
I  take  a  certain  quantity  of  this  material,  which  I 
reduce  to  a  fine  powder  by  the  means  ordinarily  used 
for  the  manufacture  of  plaster  of  Paris;  or  else  I  take 
a  certain  quantity  of  casts  of  other  articles  which 
have  been  made  of  plaster  of  Paris,  and  reduce  them 


OF  STUCCOS. 


129 


to  a  fine  dust  by  the  action  of  fire,  or  by  pulverizing 
them  with  a  pestle. 

I  then  mix  a  solution  of  the  following  materials : 
Nine  ounces  of  alkali  (of  the  best  American  potash,) 
in  six  quarts  of  water  ;  this  solution  should  be  neu- 
tralized with  some  acid,  sulphuric  acid  is  the  best  for 
this  purpose.  The  solution  must  be  stirred  up,  add- 
ing the  acid  gradually  until  the  effervescence  ceases ; 
then  add  nine  gallons  and  a  half  of  water,  making 
about  eleven  gallons  of  water  in  the  whole.  If  any 
other  alkali  is  employed,  the  quantity  of  water  should 
be  varied  in  proportion  to  its  force;  the  water  thus 
saturated,  should  be  mixed  with  a  sufiicient  quantity 
of  the  powder  to  acquire  a  consistency,  or  a  condition 
suitable  to  be  used  or  molded,  whether  in  slabs, 
bricks,  or  in  any  other  forms,  which  are  then  left  to 
dry,  and  afterward  subjected  in  reverbatories,  ovens, 
brass  crucibles  of  the  kind  used  in  gas  works,  or  by 
some  other  means,  to  a  sufficient  degree  of  heat  to 
bring  them  entirely  to  a  red  heat.  If  these  articles  are 
not  heated  entirely  red,  the  parts  which  are  not  suffi- 
ciently calcined  will  be  softer  and  less  durable  than 
the  cement  which  has  attained  a  proper  degree  of  cal- 
cination. 

The  quantity  of  the  solution  necessary  for  the  mix- 
ture is  about  half  of  that  of  the  prepared  powder. 

^  105.  Secondly,  for  a  limestone  or  chalk  cement, 
I  take  a  quantity  of  limestone  or  chalk,  which  I  crush, 
and  submit  to  the  usual  process  for  burning  or  calcin- 


130 


MARBLE  WORKERS^  MANUAL. 


iug  lime.  If  I  use  the  last  process,  I  then  reduce  the 
lime  to  powder,  either  by  exposing  it  to  air,  or  by 
diluting  it  with  water  in  the  ordinary  manner,  (the 
dissolution  by  air  is  the  best,)  and  treat  it  with  a  solu- 
tion of  alkali  and  sulphuric  acid,  as  has  been  described 
for  the  mortar  of  Paris. 

'^But  as  less  water  is  necessary  for  the  mixture,  the 
solution  should  be  proportionably  stronger.  I  dis- 
solve nine  ounces  of  alkali,  of  the  best  quality,  in  six 
quarts  of  water,  to  neutralize  with  the  sulphuric  acid 
in  the  manner  explained  for  the  Paris  cement.  I  then 
add  six  and  a  half  gallons  of  water,  or  perhaps  a  tri- 
fle more,  and  manipulate  the  solution  to  form  slabs, 
which,  when  dry,  I  calcine  in  the  manner  described  for 
the  plaster  cement.  The  solution  necessary  for  the 
mixture  is  about  a  third  part  of  that  of  the  prepared 
lime.  If  the  powder  of  plaster,  chalk,  or  lime  is  used 
without  being  calcined,  the  calcination  should  be  made 
in  regard  to  the  force  of  the  liquid,  and  in  proportion 
to  the  smallest  quantity  necessary  to  that  object. 

^'  The  solution  of  alkali  without  the  addition  of 
the  acid,  can  be  employed  for  the  composition  of  a 
cement  of  the  powder  of  plaster,  provided  that  it  is 
afterwards  calcined,  but  such  a  cement  will  not  be  as 
good  as  those  made  according  to  the  methods  which 
have  been  described. 

^'  Cements  of  the  powder  of  lime  and  chalk  can  also 
be  made  with  a  solution  of  acid ;  namely,  two  ounces, 
Troy  weight,  of  sulphuric  acid,  dissolved  in  six  gal- 


OP  STtiCCOS.  ^H^  J-fl^l 

Ions  of  water,  and  then  calcined  as  be^^re^'^^^^ained. 
But  the  cements  made  in  this  manner  wilt  nd?;!^'^ 
good  as  those  made  by  the  other  methods  indicaieS, 
The  processes  of  incorporation  and  of  calcination  for 
these  cements,  and  for  the  cement  of  plaster  with  al- 
kali, are  the  same  as  those  before  explained." 

After  having  described  the  methods  or  processes  for 
the  composition  of  hard  cements  by  a  mixture  of  alkali 
and  sulphuric  acid  with  the  powder  of  plaster,  chalk 
or  lime,  and  their  subsequent  calcination,  by  means  of 
which  the  desired  results  with  their  advantageous 
qualities  are  obtained,  Mr.  Burrows  adds:  I  shall 
now  proceed  to  explain  the  manner  of  using  them, 
and,  as  the  cements  made  of  the  powder  of  calcined 
plaster,  and  those  made  of  the  powder  of  lime,  pos- 
sess different  qualities,  it  will  be  necessary  to  establish 
a  distinction  between  them. 

§  106.  ^'  I  shall  first  speak  of  the  cement  made  with 
the  powder  of  plaster. 

^'  The  bricks  or  slabs  before  described,  having  been 
first  reduced  to  powder  and  passed  through  a  sieve  in 
the  manner  used  for  hard  cements,  should  be  mixed 
with  sand  or  gravel,  and  as  the  cement  should  pro- 
duce no  sensible  heat  while  solidifying,  it  is  desirable 
that  the  sand  employed  in  the  mixture  should  proceed 
from  mineral  or  vegetable  substances ;  for  this  reason, 
well  calcined  or  vitrified  sands  are  the  best  for  this 
use,  and  for  any  mortar  or  stucco  that  can  be  mixed 
or  applied  in  the  same  manner  as  the  cements  of  lime 


132 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS^  MANUAL. 


and  other  calcareous  cements.  As  this  plaster  can  be 
employed  for  coats  of  impression  or  other  uses  in 
which  a  slight  absorption  is  desired,  care  should  be 
taken  not  to  put  too  much  water  in  the  mixture.  It 
will  generally  be  sufficient  to  put  in  a  fifth  or  sixth 
part  of  the  quantity  of  the  materials.  But  it  must 
be  observed  that,  in  this  case,  the  success  will  still  de- 
pend much  upon  the  nature  of  those  of  which  it  is 
made.  The  same  rule  will  serve  for  the  application 
of  cement  without  sand,  whether  employed  alone,  or 
as  a  light  coating  upon  a  stucco  with  sand, 

"  If  a  particular  Marble  is  to  be  imitated,  the  paste 
should  be  applied  to  a  very  smooth  surface.  It  is 
afterwards  polished,  and  the  colors  can  then  be  varied 
if  they  have  not  been  amalgamated  during  the  appli- 
cation.'^ 

^  107.  I  shall  now  describe  the  manner  of  using 
the  cements  made  with  the  powder  of  lime  and  chalk. 

These  cements,  when  fresh,  produce  much  heat  in 
solidifying.  There  is,  therefore,  less  danger  of  their 
after  deterioration  when  they  are  mixed  with  common 
sand,  which  should  be  vitrified,  or  calcined,  as  has 
been  already  said.  The  chalks  having  been  pulver- 
ized, should  be  mixed  with  sand  and  employed  in  the 
same  manner  as  the  calcareous  cements. 

"From  this,  it  is  evident  that  the  sands  which  have 
been  described  as  being  used  in  the  application  of  my 
invention  for  stucco  and  other  objects,  can  be  mixed 
with  the  powdered  plaster,  lime,  and  chalk  when  the 


PERFECTED  CEMENTS. 


133 


acids  and  alkalies  are  added,  and  that  tliej  are  then 
subjected,  with  the  other  ingredients^  to  the  action  of 
heat  or  calcination,  in  which  case  it  will  not  be  neces- 
sary to  add  any  sand  when  using  them  ;  and  also  that 
other  alkalies  or  acids  than  those  before  mentioned 
can  be  employed,  although,  as  none  which  I  have  ex- 
perimented upon  have  succeeded  as  well,  I  give  them 
the  preference." 

PERFECTED  CEMENTS^ 

^  108.  Madame  Bex  of  Paris,  not  finding  the  pro- 
cesses of  which  we  have  just  spoken  sufficient,  claims  to 
have  discovered  a  method  of  less  limited  application, 
and  which  can  particularly  be  extended  to  guard 
against  dampness. 

In  pavements,  flagging,  and  application  upon  the 
walls  of  ground  floors,  she  has  obtained,  she  says,  the 
most  successful  results.  This  cement,  which  is  as  hard 
and  compact  as  Marble,  thus  possf^s^cs  those  qualities 
of  impermeability  termed  waterproof. 

Stucco,  on  the  contrary,  being  porr.us  by  the  nature 
of  its  composition,  is  therefore  eabH^  jssible  to  damp- 
ness, which  not  only  destroys  its  lusi  3  Due  is  a  rapid 
cause  of  its  deterioration.  On  this  at.  jount  it  has  not 
been  employed  for  pavements  and  other  uses  before 
mentioned. 

In  order  to  obviate  these  inconveniences,  Madame 
Bex  has  sought  to  ally  stucco,  as  well  as  all  other  ana- 


134  THE  MARBLE  WOEKERS'  MANUAL. 


logous  compositions,  and  even  soft  and  porous  stone, 
with  bitumens  iiod  natural  vegetable,  mineral  and 
other  bituminous  mastics;  that  is,  to  line,  in  some 
sort,  the  stucco  with  these  bitumens  in  such  a  man- 
ner as  to  thus  preserve  it  from  all  humidity. 

"  When  pavement  or  flooring  is  to  be  made,  it  is 
commenced  by  pouring  the  bitumen  in  molds  of  va- 
rious shapes  and  sizes;  before  it  cools,  fragments  of 
bricks,  tiles,  stones  of  all  kinds,  and  even  of  wood, 
iron,  brass,  copper,  lead,  zinc,  or  any  other  material, 
are  thrown  into  it. 

^'  Before  placing  the  stucco  upon  the  bitumen,  what 
is  technically  called  a  gopte  is  made  upon  the  mate- 
rials which  have  been  put  in  it;  the  stucco  is  then 
tempered  upon  a  table,  and  glue  water  and  the  colors 
necessary  to  the  Marble  to  be  imitated,  mixed  in  it. 

^'  The  stucco  being  thus  compounded,  a  cake  of  it 
is  made  upon  the  table;  this  cake  is  cut  into  slices  of 
four-fifths  of  an  inch  in  thickness,  more  or  less.  These 
slices  are  forcibly  pressed  into  the  mold  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  unite  with  the  substances  incrusted  in  the 
bitumen  as  well  as  with  the  bitumen  itself,  after  which 
the  stucco  is  polished  by  passing  sandstone  over  it 
with  dimartin^  (a  brass  plate  mounted  upon  stone.)  The 
pores  which  are  found  in  it  are  then  stopped,  and  it 
is  rubbed  again  with  pumice  to  smooth  it.  Stones 
for  polishing  coy^per  are  used  in  the  commencement 
of  the  polishing,  then  clear  stones,  and  it  is  finally 
finished  with  touchstones. 


PERFECTED  CEMENTS. 


135 


Floorings  may  be  made  of  a  single  piece,  in  courses, 
or  in  squares  as  may  be  judged  most  proper. 

'^Applications  of  stuccos  against  walls  are  made  by 
the  same  processes  as  those  used  for  floorings  or  pave- 
ments. 

This  useful  application  will  give  a  considerable 
increase  to  the  use  of  stucco." 

^  109.  It  is  doubtful  whether  this  process  of  Ma- 
dame Bex  will  perfectly  apply  to  the  proper  stucco. 
The  omission  of  indicating  the  quantity  and  quality 
of  bitumen  and  other  ingredients  which  she  employs, 
will  probably  somewhat  hinder  the  use  of  it  by  work- 
men. 

But  the  following  recipe  is  simpler  and  easier,  and 
is  much  used.  Take  the  best  plaster  that  can  be  pro- 
cured, crush  it,  bake  it  as  much  as  possible,  crush, 
sift,  and  temper  it  in  a  solution  of  Flander's  glue  in 
water,  let  it  dry,  polish  it  with  pumice  and  tripoli 
stone,  and  add  a  lustre  with  soapsuds  and  oil. 

In  the  Lime  Burner's  Manual,"  we  have  described 
several  other  processes  for  the  composition  of  stuccos, 
analogous  to  those  of  which  we  have  just  spoken. 

Among  other  processes  for  coloring  stuccos  and 
giving  them  the  appearance  of  Marbles,  baked  clay 
and  metallic  oxydes  are  used..  These  are  the  most 
solid.  Oxyd  of  lead,  ochre  scorched  and  calcined, 
red  ochre,  and  Roman  vitriol  baked  in  an  oven,  are 
also  used. 

One  can  also  employ  the  oxyde  or  carbonate  of  cop- 


136 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS^  MANUAL. 


per,  powdered  green  eDamel,  drops  of  forges,  powder- 
ed scales  of  iron,  etc.,  etc.  The  artist  who  is  to  make 
the  imitation,  must  calculate  the  effects  of  the  mixtures 
and  the  quantities  to  mix  in  order  to  produce  the  col- 
ors which  he  wishes  to  obtain,  without  losing  sight  of 
the  fact  that  these  substances  produce  very  different 
results  by  the  action  of  heat. 

No  book  can  point  out  the  means  of  giving  to  the 
polishing  of  stuccos  what  is  called  a  coup  de  main. 
This  must  depend  on  the  practice  and  the  skill  of  the 
workman.  The  Marble  worker  who  polishes  well  cal- 
careous stones,  will  also  polish  stuccos  well.  The 
rules  for  success  are  the  same  in  both  operations. — 
Above  all,  it  is  important  to  do  nothing  roughly,  and 
to  always  keep  the  work  perfectly  clean  with  a  sponge 
dipped  in  clear  water.  The  cushion  which  is  used 
should  contain  tripoli  and  chalk  finely  sifted,  and 
when  the  surface  is  perfectly  smooth,  the  lustre  is 
given  by  rubbing  it  lightly  with  a  piece  of  grey  felt, 
sprinkled  with  finely  powdered  tripoli,  and  then,  in 
the  last  place,  with  another  piece  of  felt  moistened 
only  with  oil.  We  cannot  recommend  too  much  care 
that,  when  a  polishing  operation  is  to  be  performed, 
the  piece  to  be  polished  should  be  perfectly  freed  from 
all  the  humidity  contained  in  itself  or  acquired  from 
the  atmosphere. 

^  iiO.  When  the  stucco  was  used  among  the  an- 
cients to  form  ornaments,  it  was  worked,  says  Yitru- 
vius,  in  two  ways,  either  with  the  boasting  tools,  or 


MOLDINGS  IN  STUCCO. 


137 


in  the  mold.  When  thej  wished  to  make,  we  sup- 
pose, a  bas  relief  or  large  ornaments,  the  workman 
designed  upon  the  coat  of  impression,  with  the  point 
of  the  boastinor  tool,  the  outlines  of  the  fio-ures  which 
be  wished  to  represent,  and  then  modeled  them  of  the 
paste  of  the  stucco  as  our  modelers  do  with  clay. — 
The  material  dried  too  quickly  in  the  hand  of  the 
workman  to  permit  of  any  alterations.  Thus  a  great 
facility  of  execution  was  necessary  to  succeed  in  this 
work,  which  fact  renders  the  beautiful  compositions 
of  this  kind  found  at  Herculaneum  and  Pompeii  still 
more  worthy  of  admiration. 

^111.  The  second  method  was  employed  for  small 
successive  works,  such  as  ornaments  for  cornices,  fra- 
mings and  ceilings.  When  the  coat  of  impression 
was  set  in  the  necessary  place,  a  mold  was  applied 
which  left  upon  the  fresh  surface  the  desired  imprint; 
the  chipped  edges  were  then  adroitly  raised,  and  the 
ornament  remained  simply  and  immovably  fixed.  The 
seams  of  the  mold  can  be  plainly  observed  in  all 
parts;  besides,  it  would  be  difficult  to  imagine  that 
these  different  ornaments  were  first  prepared,  and 
that  they  applied  them  like  the  pieces  of  facings,  or 
bas  reliefs ;  the  extreme  tenuity  of  some  of  the  de- 
tails would  render  this  impossible. 

MOLDINGS  IN  STUCCO. 

^112.  When  moldings  are  made  in  stucco,  they  can 
be  jutted  out  with  bores  as  in  mason  work,  or  if  these 


138 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS^  MANUAL. 


bores  are  small,  they  may  be  fitted  to  a  wooden  joint- 
ing plane.  To  give  a  polish  to  all  the  indented  angu- 
lar parts,  instead  of  a  cushion  of  linen  or  felt,  a  piece 
of  willow  coal,  or  even  of  common  coal  is  used,  still 
moistening  it  with  a  sponge. 

When  a  Marble  veined  with  several  colors  is  to  be 
imitated,  the  difiTerent  colors  of  the  Marble  are  sepa- 
rately diluted  in  weak,  warm  glue;  pastes  are  made 
of  each  of  these  shades ;  they  are  then  flattened  down 
and  placed  one  above  another,  putting  those  of  the 
prevailing  color  of  the  Marble  to  be  represented,  in 
the  greatest  number.  All  of  these  little  cakes  are 
then  turned  upon  the  side  and  cut  in  slices,  which  are 
immediately  spread  upon  the  trowel,  care  being  taken 
to  direct  this  trowel,  and  consequently  the  colored 
materials,  in  the  same  direction  as  that  of  the  Marble 
to  be  imitated.  When  the  Breccias  are  copied,  pieces 
of  soft  Marbles,  such  as  white  and  colored  alabasters, 
are  incrusted ;  these  Marbles  beino-  rubbed  down  and 
their  apparent  surfaces  polished,  present,  by  reason 
of  their  forms,  the  usual  pebbles  of  the  Breccias. 

In  general,  these  coats  of  impression,  which  should 
be  always  at  least  one-fifth  of  an  inch  in  thickness, 
demand  much  attention  and  particular  pains;  for  in- 
stance, the  colors  for  the  surface  should  be  properly 
arranged,  the  glue  water  should  be  always  warm  in 
order  that  the  plaster  may  not  set  too  quickly  and 
that  the  rough  cast  above  may  be  well  prepared,  etc. 

If  Etruscan,  or  other  figures  are  to  be  made  upon 


MOLDINGS  IN  STUCCO. 


139 


any  ground,  a  pounce  is  applied  when  the  ground  is 
partly  polished ;  then  all  the  parts  which  are  to  re- 
ceive the  incrustations  are  removed  with  small  chisels, 
gouges,  and  other  tools  suitable  for  this  purpose,  and  , 
cavities  thus  formed  of  from  one-fifth  to  one-eighth  of 
an  inch  in  thickness,  according  to  the  outlines  desig- 
nated by  the  pounce.  Small  pots  are  prepared  which 
are  filled  with  the  different  colors  necessary,  and  of 
which  a  paste  is  made  with  fine  plaster  in  the  palm 
of  the  hand,  warm  glue  water  being  mixed  with  it; 
this  paste  is  then  introduced  in  the  prepared  cavities 
with  a  spatula  or  flexible  knife  and  compactly  pressed, 
the  surface  being  smoothed  down  as  much  as  possible. 
If  there  are  several  tints,  or  fillets  of  light  and  dark 
shades,  the  two  edges  are  scooped  out  anew  in  the  de- 
sired crockets,  and  the  light  tints  of  the  reflex  and 
the  darker  ones  forming  the  shade  projected,  are  ap- 
plied in  the  same  manner.  All  the  colors  suited  to 
this  work  can  be  found  in  commerce. 

If,  after  the  termination  of  the  work,  any  parts  of 
it  have  not  the  desired  shade,  those  requiring  altera- 
tion are  pierced  again  with  the  etching  needle  or  chisel, 
and  paste  inserted  of  the  shade  which  is  wished,  care 
being  taken  to  make  these  punctures  so  deep  that  they 
will  not  be  rubbed  down,  and,  consequently,  effaced, 
by  the  polish  and  the  lustre. 

Some  stucco  workers  put  no  plaster  in  their  stuccos, 
but  compound  them  simply  of  one  part  of  quick-lime 
and  two  parts  of  pulverized  Marble  ;  others  mix  the 


140 


MARBLE  workers'  MANUAL. 


quick-lime,  powder,  and  plaster  together  in  equal 
quantities,  and  dilute  the  whole  in  a  glue  prepared  as 
for  painting  upon  Marble,  but  more  transparent. 

In  general,  stuccos  should  be  executed  in  works 
which  are  not  exposed  to  dampness,  and  upon  very 
dry  rough-casts  of  mortar,  or  plaster,  otherwise  this 
humidity  repels  them,  and  produces  black  spots  upon 
the  surface  of  the  stucco,  or  the  saltpetre  which  intro- 
duces itself  cracks  them  and  causes  them  to  falL 


SECTION  THIRD. 

OF  THE  PAINTING  UPON,  AND  THE  COLORING  OF 
MARBLES. 

OF    PAINTING    UPON  MARBLES. 

^113.  We  may  be  able,  by  new  processes,  to  facili- 
tate the  painting  or  the  coloring  of  Marbles,  but  we 
shall  probably  never  surpass  the  effects  which  the  an- 
cients obtained,  by  methods  which  are  now  unknown 
to  us. 

Upon  this  point,  our  tastes  differ  widely  from  those 
of  former  times,  and  this  is  probably  owing  to  the  en- 
franchisement of  the  people.  When  the  kings  held 
immense  numbers  of  slaves,  they  could  easily  under- 


OF  PAINTING  UPON  MARBLES. 


141 


iake  those  difficult  and  tedious  works,  which  they 
could  not  have  imposed  upon  freemen.  The  great 
aim  of  the  slaves  was  to  obey  their  masters  and  to 
satisfy  them — the  time  they  counted  as  little.  The 
great  aim  of  the  workmen  of  the  present  day  is,  to 
provide  for  their  own  wants  and  those  of  their  fami- 
lies; time  is  every  thing  to  them,  and  the  less  of  it 
they  employ  in  the  execution  of  a  work,  the  more  they 
gain  thereby. 

The  painting  of  the  ancients  upon  Marbles  was  exe- 
cuted by  the  same  means  as  the  mosaics,  in  which 
they  employed  cubes  after  having  dipped  them  in 
colors. 

The  following  process  is  now  in  use,  according  to 
M.  Lisbonne  : 

Take  a  slab  of  Marble  of  dimensions  analogous  to 
the  painting  to  be  made.  Commence  by  properly  lay- 
ing out  your  design,  and,  when  it  is  finished,  use  a 
sheet  of  vegetable  paper  for  reversing  the  tracing  ;  but 
in  order  that  it  may  be  more  clearly  reproduced  upon 
the  Marble,  rub  the  under  part  of  this  paper  with 
red  or  black  crayon  ;  then  press  upon  the  lines  of 
the  drawing  as  forcibly  as  possible  with  a  spatula,  and 
the  Marble  which  is  to  represent  the  painting  will  thus 
receive  a  good  impression.  You  then,  with  a  brush, 
surround  this  design  with  any  wax  in  a  fluid  state,  but 
which,  w^hen  placed  on  the  Marble,  will  soon  solidify. 
This  hinders  the  acids  from  spreading  over  the  Marble 
and  defacing  it;  it  also  preserves  the  natural  color 


142 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS^  MANUAL. 


and  polish  of  those  parts  of  the  Marble  which  bear  no 
design. 

^114.  Yet,  although  this  process  can  be  used  for 
Marbles  which  are  polished  in  advance,  experience  has 
demonstrated  that  it  is  a  much  better  plan  to  work 
upon  Marbles  which  have  only  been  rubbed  with  the 
pumice-stone,  and  to  which  the  polish  and  lustre  are 
not  given  until  tbe  painting  has  been  entirely  fin- 
ished. 

^'  The  outline  upon  the  Marble  being  surrounded 
with  wax,  as  has  just  been  explained,  it  is  then  neces- 
sary— in  order  to  complete  the  cares  demanded  in  this 
operation,  and  to  give  to  the  design,  and,  consequent- 
ly, to  the  painting,  all  the  necessary  distinctness — to 
rectify  the  interior ;  that  is,  to  free  it  from  any  wax 
which  may  have  lodged  there,  and  to  cover  over  any 
parts,  however  small,  which  may  need  it.  This  wax 
would  hinder  the  acid  from  taking  effect,  and  would 
render  the  painting  defective. 

§  1 15.  "When  these  preliminary  operations  are  fin- 
ished, the  acid  is  poured  over  the  whole  surface  of  the 
design ;  the  more  body  required  for  the  painting 
— that  is,  the  greater  the  depth  of  the  incrustation 
which  receives  it  should  be — the  more  acid  should  be 
poured  on,  at  intervals  calculated  according  to  the  ef- 
fect produced. 

"  Though  there  is  no  general  rule  given  for  the  depth 
of  the  incrustations,  this  depending  upon  taste  or  ca- 


OP  PAINTING  UPON  MARBLES. 


143 


price,  they  are  usually  of  about  the  hundredth  part  of 
an  inch  in  depth. 

^116.  "In  order  to  pour  the  acid  conveniently  upon 
the  design,  it  should  be  placed  in  little  cans,  specially 
adapted  to  dropping  it  upca  every  place,  whether 
large  or  small,  which  admits  the  different  parts  of  the 
design. 

"  When  you  have  carefully  poured  over  the  surface 
of  the  design  as  much  acid  as  is  needed  to  obtain  the 
incrustations,  leaving  it  there  for  about  three  minutes 
in  order  to  produce  this  effect,  you  then  remove  it  in 
the  following  manner  : 

"  Place  the  slab  of  Marble  over  some  vessel,  and  then, 
with  a  sponge  filled  with  clear  water,  wash  the  im- 
prints which  have  received  the  acid.  After  this,  you 
remove  the  wax  which  had  been  applied  to  both 
the  interior  and  exterior,  with  a  metallic  blad^^  or, 
which  is  the  better  way,  by  placing  the  slab  of  Marhle 
near  the  fire,  which  thus  receiving  a  gentle  heat,  but 
•strong  enough  to  restore  the  wax  to  a  fluid  state,  be- 
comes readily  cle:^used. 

"  The  Marble  and  the  design  being  thus  properly 
cleansed,  the  impression  of  the  picture  is  formed,  and 
you  can  then  proceed  to  apply  the  composition,  or  the 
different  colors  suited  to  give,  to  the  details  as  well  ab 
the  whole,  a  greater  or  less  brilliancy,  or  an  appear- 
ance more  or  less  striking,  according  to  the  subject  to 
be  represented. 

"This  application  of  colors  can  b*^  made  either  with 


144 


THE  MAPcBLE  WORKERS^  MANtJAt. 


the  clarified  essence  of  turpentine,  the  oil  of  pinks, 
thick  oil,  or  gummed  water,  and  is  executed  with  the 
different  brushes  and  pencils  ordinarily  used  by 
painters. 

^'  When  the  colors  have  been  tastefully  distributed 
and  artistically  placed,  place  the  slab  of  Marble  in  r>n 
ordinary  dryer,  so  arranged  as  to  receive  but  a  tem- 
perate heat,  but  sufficient  to  properly  dry  the  varied 
composition  with  which  it  has  been  ornamented  ;  when 
it  has  become  sufficiently  dry,  give  the  picture  several 
coats  of  varnish, 

"  After  applying  the  first  coat  of  varnish,  leave  it  to 
dry,  in  order  tliat  the  second  coat  may  penetrate;  it 
better,  then  give  the  second  and  third  coats  with  the 
proper  intervals. 

^'  When  the  leveling  of  the  painting  and  Marble  is 
exact  and  complete,  rub  the  picture  with  a  cushion  of 
wool  or  cotton  wadding,  covered  with  silk  or  any  other 
smooth  and  soft  tissue.  The  first  rubbing  should  be 
forcible,  but  regular.  It  is  then  lightly  rubbed  over 
again  several  times.  Tbis  operation,  which  lasts  near- 
ly an  hour,  restores  to  the  painting  all  the  brilliancy 
which  the  pumice-stone  had  destroyed. 

The  processes  for  gilding  or  silvering  the  pictures, 
are  analogous  to  those  used  in  the  pale  ting  itself. — 
This  additional  operation  is  commenced  by  forming  in- 
crustations with  the  acid,  whicn  may  either  be  made 
upon  certain  parts  of  the  picture,  or  excavated  in  dif- 
ferent portions  of  the  Marble. 


OP  lAINTlNG  UPON  MARBLES. 


145 


These  new  incrustations  permit  the  attainment  of 
a  subdued  or  burnished  gilding,  according  to  the  sub- 
stances and  processes  employed. 

"  In  the  first  case,  for  a  subdued  gilding,  fill  the  in- 
crustations with  a  paste  composed  of  calcined  white 
lead  and  thick  oil ;  then  pass  over  the  parts  to  be 
gilded  or  silvered  a  varnish,  composed  of  gum  lac  and 
spirits  of  wine  ;  apply  a  coatiog  of  oil  called  mixture^ 
composed  of  old  oils  and  gum  resin,  dry  it,  as  has 
been  already  explained,  and  when  this  coating  has  at- 
tained the  proper  degree  of  dryness,  apply  to  it  the 
gold  or  silver  leaf,  smooth  down  the  metallic  leaf  upon 
the  mixture,  and  give  to  the  leaf  the  coats  of  varnish 
necessary  to  its  preservation. 

"  In  the  second  case,  for  the  burnished  gilding,  fill 
the  incrustations  which  have  been  made  upon  the 
painting  or  Marble,  with  a  red  tincture  known  by  the 
name  of  assiette  d  dorer^  a  paste  composed  of  Spanish 
whiting  and  strong  skin  glue  or  glue  for  gilding 
wood. 

Give  the  incrustations  three  coats  of  this  red  tinc- 
ture, smooth  these  down  properly,  then  simply  moist- 
en that  part  of  the  painting  which  has  been  thus  cov- 
ered, with  water  before  applying  to  it  the  gold  or  sil- 
ver leaf ;  when  this  metallic  leaf  has  also  been  leveled 
and  dried,  burnish  it  with  a  suitable  stone,  and  give 
it  several  coats  of  varnish. 

^'  In  respect  to  the  nature  and  composition  of  the  acid, 
colors,  and  varnish,  the  best  acid  is  the  nitric  acid  of 


146 


THE  MARBLE  WORKER MANUAL. 


thirty-six  degrees.  The  colors  are  those  which  are 
usually  employed  in  paintio^  upon  wood  or  canvas, 
and  the  varnish  used  is  that  of  gum  copal." 

Should  we  rejoice  at,  or  regret  such  inventions? — ■ 
Are  these  really  works  of  art,  or  methods  of  deceiving 
the  public  ?  Experience  must  answer  these  questions. 
The  use  which  may  be  made  of  these  means  of  vary- 
ing the  public  enjoyments  will  soon  determine  their 
value. 

If  these  paintings  are  employed  upon  articles  of 
furniture  in  common  use,  they  will  meet  with  great 
success,  but  wealthy  people  will  always  prefer  the 
genuine  beauties  of  Marble,  and  men  of  good  taste 
will  choose  simple  ornaments,  delicate  lines,  and  de- 
signs in  harmony  with  the  decorations  of  their  apart- 
ments and  the  ornamental  pieces  hanging  therein. 

ANOTHER  PAINTING   UPON  MARBLE. 

§  11 7.  Amateurs  of  mosaics  have  often  been  deceived, 
by  showing  them  paintings  imitating  mosaic  work  so 
closely  as  to  be  mistaken  for  it  when  not  carefully 
examined.  This  kind  of  painting  may  be  made  very 
liseful  in  the  ornamenting  of  certain  edifices,  stair- 
ways, peristyles,  dining-rooms,  baths,  and  temples  for 
gardens.  Marble  workers  may  not  often  have  occa- 
sion to  employ  themselves  in  works  of  this  nature,  but 
they  prepare  the  Marbles  on  which  these  paintings 
are  made,  and,  on  this  account,  we  think  it  advisable 
to  give  here  the  processes  for  which  M.  Ciceri,  of 


ANOTHER   PAINTING  UPON  MARBLE.  147 


Paris,  took  out  a  patent  of  invention  for  ten  years,  in 
September,  1837. 

"  These  new  processes,"  says  he,  ^'  are  designed  to 
replace  the  use  of  oil,  glue,  or  of  wax,  in  all  kinds  of 
paintings  executed  upon  stone,  Marble,  stucco,  plaster, 
wood,  cartoons,  and  all  porous  substances  in  general. 

The  object  is  to  facilitate  the  execution  of  orna- 
mental paintings,  and  to  secure  their  preservation  by 
remedying  the  inseparable  inconvenience  of  the  projec- 
tion formed  upon  the  marble  by  the  paintings  in  oil 
and  glue,  which  will  finally  grow  obscure,  because  they 
are  not  incorporated  with  the  material  upon  which 
they  are  spread." 

§  118.  ^'  Before  speaking  of  the  different  methods 
of  execution  upon  Marble  and  other  materials,"  says 
M.  Ciceri,  we  will  give  here  the  principles  of  our 
invention,  which  consists  in  the  idea  of  applying  to 
porous  substances  in  order  to  paint  and  ornament 
them,  acids,  alkalies,  alcohols,  ethers,  etc.,  containing 
simple  or  composite  coloring  matters  in  solution  or 
suspension.  We  will  add  that  these  matters,  which 
can  be  used  simply,  or  mixed  with  the  substances  per- 
forming the  functions  of  a  mordant,  act  in  such  a  man- 
ner as  to  incorporate  themselves  with  the  body,  the 
surface  of  which  is  painted  ;  and  that  this  substance 
can  afterwards  be  rubbed  and  polished  without  effect- 
ing the  painting.  It  can  also  receive  a  coat  of  varnish, 
which  forms  an  imperceptible  thickness  upon  the  body 
thus  painted. 


148 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS^  MANUAL. 


To  demonstrate  better  the  novelty,  advantages 
and  nature  of  our  process,  we  will  give  an  example  of 
its  application. 

"  Take  a  piece  of  Marble  pumiced  and  softened, 
either  upon  its  sawed  front  or  a  cut  surface,  and  stopped 
up  and  coated  as  if  for  polishing  or  painting;  then 
take  black  ink  (tannate  of  iron,)  red  ink,  (Brazil  wood,) 
rose  ink,  (cochineal,)  and  blue  ink,  (sulphate  of  indigo,) 
paint  the  marble  with  a  common  brush,  dry  it,  and 
then  polish  it  in  the  usual  manner. 

The  polishing  can  be  replaced  by  a  varnish  upon 
a  sizing  put  on  after  the  painting,  or  by  a  coating  of 
oil  applied  either  cold  or  warm. 

In  both  these  methods,  these  coatings  of  oil,  sizing 
and  varnish  will  deteriorate,  as  will  every  preparation 
of  this  kind  when  applied  to  Marble ;  while  the  paint- 
ing executed  by  our  process  will  always  remain  the 
same  by  reason  of  its  indelibility,  and  can  never  be 
destroyed  since  it  is  absorbed  by  the  Marble  into  the 
pores  of  which  it  has  been  introduced. 

This  example  will  suffice  to  show  the  conditions 
of  preparation  necessary  to  the  colors  which  we  em- 
ploy, because,  if,  on  one  hand,  it  is  necessary  that 
their  fluidity  should  be  such  as  to  enable  them  to  pen- 
etrate into  the  pores  of  the  material ;  on  the  other, 
it  must  not  be  so  great  as  to  allow  them  to  spread 
like  a  drop  of  oil  falling  upon  a  porous  body ;  in  which 
case  they  would  no  longer  be  subject  to  the  guidance 
of  the  brush. 


COLOPaNG  BY  ABSORPTION. 


149 


These  colors  should  have  a  suflScient  degree  of 
tenuity  to  prevent  the  occurrence  of  these  inconve- 
niences ;  these  inks  which  we  employ  offer  to  us  this 
normal  condition. 

"It  should  also  be  observed  that,  the  materials 
upon  which  this  kind  of  painting  is  executed  being  more 
or  less  porous,  the  coloring  substances  should  possess 
a  degree  of  tenuity  relative  to  the  same  degree  of  poro- 
sity." 

While  leaving  to  M.  Ciceri  the  entire  responsibility 
of  his  statements,  we  cannot  but  applaud  his  experi- 
ments and  the  results  obtained,  and  we  recommend  to 
Marble  workers  to  endeavor  to  improve  the  art  and  to 
popularize  the  use  of  paintings  upon  Marble  and  stone. 
This  may  become  a  new  branch  of  art  which  will  be 
in  great  demand  in  our  commerce  with  foreign  coun- 
tries, as  well  as  for  home  consumption. 

COLORING  BY  ABSORPTION. 

§  119.  The  coloring  of  Marbles  by  the  absorption 
of  colors,  which  some  inventors  have  recommended  as 
a  novelty,  has  long  been  successfully  practised  in  Italy, 
and  the  following  results  obtained. 

It  has  been  discovered  that  the  solution  of  nitrate 
of  silver  penetrates  Marble,  giving  it  a  deep  red  color. 

That  the  solution  of  nitrate  of  gold  produces  a  vio- 
let color,  shading  upon  purple. 

That  the  solution  of  verdigris  penetrates  the  Marble 
deeply,  communicating  to  it  a  bright  green  color. 


150 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS'  MANUAL. 


That  tliose  of  dragon's  blood  and  gamboge  also  pen- 
etrate it ;  the  first  producing  a  beautiful  red,  and  the 
other,  a  yellow  color. 

That  the  absorptions  may  be  complete  in  the  above 
instances  it  is  first  necessary,  the  Marble  being  well 
polished,  to  dissolve  the  gums  and  resins  in  warm 
alcohol.  All  the  dyes  obtained  by  alcohol  from  Bra- 
zil and  Campeachy  wood  and  others,  also  penetrate 
the  Marble  deeply. 

It  has  also  been  discovered  that  the  tincture  of 
cochineal,  prepared  in  this  manner  with  the  addition 
of  a  little  alum,  gives  to  the  Marble  a  most  beautiful 
scarlet  color,  penetrating  nearly  the  eighth  of  an  inch. 
This  strongly  resembles  the  African  Marble. 

The  artificial  orpiment,  or  sulphuret  of  arsenic, 
dissolved  in  ammonia,  will  communicate  to  the  Mar- 
ble a  yellow  color  in  a  few  moments,  which  will  grow 
more  vivid  by  exposure  to  the  air. 

To  all  the  substances  employed  for  this  purpose  we 
should  add  white  wax,  mixed  with  the  coloring  mat- 
ters and  melted  together. 

If  verdigris  is  boiled  in  wax  and  the  mixture  laid 
upon  the  Marble  with  an  instrument,  and  afterwards 
removed  from  the  surface  when  cold,  it  will  be  found 
that  the  design  has  penetrated  one-third  of  an  inch, 
producing  a  fine  emerald  color. 

We  shall  enter  into  some  details  respecting  the  ex- 
ecution of  this  work.  When  several  colors  are  to  be 
used  in  succession  without  confounding  them  or  affect- 


COLORING  BY  ABSORPTION. 


151 


iDg  the  clearness  of  the  design,  it  is  necessary  to  pro- 
ceed in  the  following  manner. 

The  tinctures  obtained  by  the  spirits  of  wine  and 
oil  of  turpentine  should  be  employed  upon  the  Marble 
while  it  is  hot,  particularly  when  delicate  designs  are 
executed ;  but  the  dragons'  blood  and  gamboge  should 
be  applied  to  the  cold  Marble  ;  for  this  they  must  be 
dissolved  in  alcohol,  and  the  solution  of  gamboge  first 
used. 

This,  which  is  quite  clear,  grows  turbid  in  a  short 
time,  and  produces  a  yellow  precipitate,  which  is  used 
for  obtaining  a  more  vivid  color ;  the  parts  sketched 
are  then  heated  by  passing  a  plate  of  red  hot  iron- — 
or,  which  is  better,  a  saucepan  filled  with  burning  coals 
— over  the  surface  of  the  Marble,  at  the  distance  of 
three-fourths  of  an  inch  from  it.  It  is  then  left  to 
cool,  after  which  the  parts  which  the  color  has  not 
penetrated  are  heated  in  the  same  manner.  When  the 
yellow  coloring  is  finished,  the  solution  of  dragons' 
blood  is  applied  in  the  same  manner,  and  while  the 
Marble  is  hot,  the  other  vegetable  tinctures  that  do 
not  require  a  great  heat  in  order  to  penetrate  the  Mar- 
ble, may  also  be  applied.  The  design  is  finally  com- 
pleted with  the  colors  mixed  with  wax;  much  care  is 
necessary  in  the  application  of  these,  since  the  least 
degree  of  heat  beyond  the  proper  point  will  cause  them 
to  spread,  for  which  reason  they  are  less  suitable  for 
delicate  designs. 

These  colors  should  only  be  applied  to  the  places 


152 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS^  MANUAL. 


where  they  are  designed  to  remain.  Fresh  water 
should  be  thrown  on  them  from  time  to  time  during  the 
operation. 

These  colors  do  not  impair  that  of  the  Marble,  which 
should  be  well  polished  before  subjecting  it  to  these 
operations ;  it  is  better  to  use  but  few  colors.  Two 
or  three  will  generally  be  found  sufficient. 

We  made  the  assertion  at  the  beginning  of  this  es- 
say, that  this  art  of  coloring  Marble  was  not  a  new 
invention.  Indeed,  the  ancients  understood  the  incor- 
poration of  colors  into  calcareous  substances.  Zosi- 
mus  thus  expresses  himself  on  the  subject: 

^'  The  Marbles  are  polished  to  render  them  more 
susceptible  to  the  reception  and  absorption  of  colors 
which  are  then  applied.  The  operation  is  finished  by 
placing  a  mordant  upon  these  colors,  which  preserves 
the  painting,  and  attaches  it  so  closely  to  the  Marble 
that  both  form  a  part  of  the  same  body.'' 

There  is  also  found — 

First,  in  the  Nouvelles  Kconomiques^  vol.  xxx.,  p. 
146,  published  in  1759,  an.  extract  from  a  paper  read 
by  the  Count  de  Caylus,  in  the  public  session  of  the 
Koyal  Academy  of  Belles  Lettres,  on  the  twenty-fourth 
of  April  of  the  same  year,  which  contains  interesting 
details  respecting  A  new  method  of  Incorporating  colors 
into  Marble^  and  of  fixing  the  sketch. 

Second,  in  the  Journal  Economique^  1758,  p.  169, 
A  method  for  penetrating  the  interior  of  Marble  in 


OF  ARTIFICIAL  MARBLES.  153 

such  a  manner  as  to  he  able  to  paint  upon  the  surface 
things  seeming  to  he  within. 

Thanks  to  the  progress  of  chemistry,  we  may  be 
able  to  find  means  of  simplifying,  and,  perhaps,  of  per- 
fecting this  work,  but  we  should  not  regard  as  an  in- 
vention what  is  often  merely  an  improvement.  We 
can  easily  infer  from  all  that  we  have  said,  that  a  Mar- 
ble worker  who  will  study  all  that  has  been  said  upon 
Marble,  and  will  occupy  himself  with  the  application 
of  the  processes  described,  will  be  able  to  imitate  the 
finest  Marbles,  and  to  enrich  this  art,  which  has  so 
lono;  been  neo;lected. 


SECTION  FOURTH. 
OF  ARTIFICIAL  MARBLES. 

^120.  Should  we  commend  the  efi'orts  which  are  made 
to  give  us  counterfeit  productions,  or  ought  we  to  op- 
pose all  such  products  as  encouraging  fraud,  and  in- 
juring honorable  artists  ?  This  is  a  delicate  question 
when  asked  respecting  jewelry,  cloths,  furniture,  and 
many  other  articles.  It  also  affects  Marble  working, 
for  it  is  very  evident  that  the  artificial  Marbles  injure 
the  Marble  workers,  as  much  as  the  manufacture  of 
paste  jewels  injures  the  diamond  merchants. 

Notwithstanding  this,  if  the  artificial  Marble  should 


154  THE  MARBLE  WORKERS^  MANUAL. 

become  a  principal  article  of  ccmmerce,  the  Marble 
workers  would  be  better  able  than  any  speculators  to 
manufacture  Marble,  and  convert  it  into  a  branch  of 
their  art.  For  this  reason,  we  deem  it  advisable  to 
occupy  some  time  with  these  artificial  Marbles,  the 
success  of  which  is  somewhat  problematical. 

The  Marble  composed  by  man  has  long  been  known 
by  the  name  of  stucco.  Will  the  artificial  Marble  be 
preferable  to  this  ?  This  is  doubtful.  Will  it  be 
more  valuable  than  the  plated  Marble  ?  Experience 
must  demonstrate  it.  While  waiting  for  the  decision, 
we  will  examine  the  different  methods  which  have 
been  proposed  in  the  course  of  a  few  years,  and  view 
their  respective  advantages. 

<^  121.  In  1823,  the  first  patent  of  invention  was 
taken  out  for  fifteen  years,  by  Madame  Dutillet,  for 
processes  relating  to  the  formation  of  artificial  Marble. 
The  following  statement  was  made  by  her  of  the  dis- 
covery which  she  claimed  to  have  made  : 

"  The  artificial  Marble  which  is  composed  by  the 
aid  of  calcareous  substances,  has  all  the  ductility,  pol- 
ish, frigidity,  etc.,  of  the  natural  Marble. 

"  It  can  be  used  for  basins,  floorings  of  bath-rooms, 
vestibules,  etc.  ;  in  short,  in  all  places  which  are  ex- 
posed to  drought  or  humidity.  It  can  also  be  em- 
ployed in  the  construction  of  churches  and  other  pub- 
lic buildings  which  dampness  defaces,  and  frescoes 
can  be  applied  to  it  with  great  facility,  as  the  colors 
do  not  fade,  and  retain  all  their  brilliancy." 


COMPOSITION  OF  ARTIFICIAL  MARBLE. 


155 


COMPOSITION  OF  ARTIFICIAL  MARBLE. 

§  122.  ''To  one  hundred  and  ten  pounds  avoirdu- 
pois of  pulverized  Marble  wbich  has  been  sifted,  add 
thirty-nine  pounds  of  crushed  and  sifted  bricks,  and 
twenty-two  pounds  of  glass,  also  pounded  and  sifted. 
Add  to  this  five  times  the  quantity  of  hydraulic  limCj 
and  carefully  stir  it  with  water  to  form  a  paste  sus- 
ceptible of  being  worked  with  the  trowel." 

When  a  smooth  layer  has  been  applied  to  the  sur* 
face  to  be  coated,  draw  with  a  brush  the  veins  and  the 
color  of  the  Marble  which  you  wish  to  imitate.  Then 
put  one  pound  of  Venice  talc  in  a  linen  cloth,  thus 
forming  a  packet,  and  sprinkle  the  surface  that  has 
just  been  coated  and  painted.  After  this  gloss  it, 
by  rubbing  it  with  the  trowel,  until  the  polish  and 
frigidity  shall  be  attained. 

"  You  can  give  to  the  paste  the  color  which  is  to  be 
communicated  to  the  ground  of  the  Marble.  For  this, 
add  the  color  at  the  moment  of  mixing  the  paste,  tak- 
ing care  only  to  employ  mineral  colors.  Vegetable 
colors  must  never  be  used. 

"  A  powder  may  be  made  of  crushed  porcelain,  si- 
lex,  sandstone,  and  other  hard  stones,  or  even  with  clay, 
(taking  care  to  extract  all  vegetable  matter,)  which  will 
amalgamate  well  with  the  composition  of  artificial 
Marble." 

Madame  Dutillet  seems  to  have  been  successful,  as 


156  THE  MARBLE  WORKERS^  MANUAL. 


^'She  soM  -  her  '  patent,  and  the  purchaser  took  out,  in 
^"l^iiii  Si  patent  of  improvement,  in  which  the  follow- 
ing modifications  are  found  : 

^  123.  The  materials  employed,  as  has  been  said 
before,  must  be  freed  from  all  vegetable  and  animal 
matter  which  they  may  contain,  that  they  may  form 
an  indestructible  composition.  After  the  substances 
have  been  pulverized,  they  are  baked  long  enough  to 
destroy  any  vegetable  or  animal  parts,  and  this  powder 
is  mixed  with  thick  lime,  or  hydraulic  lime,  according 
to  the  dampness  or  nitrifying  of  the  localities.  All 
the  colors  employed  are  also  purified  by  fire. 

Before  applying  the  material  upon  the  stone,  the 
surface  of  it  should  be  washed  with  water,  and  scraped 
if  necessary  ;  after  which,  any  vegetable  matter  which 
may  exist  upon  the  stone  is  destroyed  by  the  means 
of  acids,  applied  with  a  brush  of  amianthus,  or  moun- 
tain flax.  Ornaments,  and  even  figures,  may  be 
painted  by  the  aid  of  an  economical  process,  consist- 
ing in  the  use  of  plates  of  copper,  or  of  waxed  car- 
toons, which  are  cut  out  to  form  the  necessary  holes. 

When  the  coatings  are  finished,  and  the  painting  is 
applied  to  the  Marble  or  the  ornaments,  it  is  polished 
in  the  ordinary  manner.  But,  to  obtain  a  greater 
brilliancy,  a  composition  of  the  essence  of  turpentine 
and  white  wax  melted  by  the  fire,  may  be  used. 

This  composition  is  laid  upon  the  surface  with  a 
brush,  and  then  rubbed  with  a  skin  ;  and  in  this  way, 
the  essence  having  consumed  all  foreign  substances 


COMPOSITION  OF  ARTIFICIAL  MA^JL^j.^  157 

which  may  have  lodged  on  the  surface,\ji^\px  unites'  ^ 
with  the  material  by  the  action  of  the"li]Q.:(^^JkD^^p(^{ 
most  beautiful  polish  is  attained.  —  ^Tm^^asi^ 

This  new  material  can  also  be  molded  into  all  kinds 
of  ornaments  in  relief,  busts,  statues,  chimney-pieces, 
etc. 

^  124.  The  matter  did  not  rest  here.  On  the  28th 
of  January,  1825,  the  patentees  of  Madame  Datillet 
took  out  a  new  patent  of  addition,  in  which  it  is  stated 
that  calcareous  matters,  oyster  shells,  marl,  and  talc, 
should  be  calcined  in  a  crucible  or  oven,  and  then  re- 
duced to  powder,  to  which  is  added  an  equal  part  of 
hydraulic  lime,  slaked  b}^  immersion  or  otherwise. — 
The  whole  should  be  passed  through  a  silken  sieve; 
and  when  the  composition  is  to  be  molded,  it  should 
be  tempered  like  plaster.  The  inventor  adds  that  the 
polish  is  obtained  by  means  of  Venice  talc,  and  that 
the  coloring  can  also  be  laid  on  the  paste. 

^  125.  Another  process  was  described  in  Ju-ne,  1840, 
by  M.  Chenard,  of  Paris,  for  which  he  took  out  a  pa- 
tent for  five  years.  We  will  let  him  speak  in  his  own 
behalf: 

1,  "  I  make  a  preparation,  composed  of  good  linseed 
oil  reduced  and  the  essence  of  turpentine,  which  I  mix 
with  litharge  and  umber  when  the  oil  is  of  an  inferior 
quality. 

2.  I  spread  this  preparation  upon  the  surface  to 
be  marbled,  either  with  a  brush  or  with  a  metal 
scraper. 


158 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS^  MANUAL. 


8.     I  then  dry  the  article  thus  coated.  . 

4.  ^'  I  give  it  a  second  coat  of  the  said  preparation, 
and  even  a  third  if  the  body  which  I  wish  to  Marble 
is  not  sufficiently  covered  by  the  first  and  second ;  a 
thing  which  may  be  easily  known  if  the  surface  of  the 
body  can  yet  be  seen  in  spite  of  the  coatings  already 
applied.  The  true  ground  of  the  Marble  is  placed 
upon  these  preparatory  coatings,  the  color  of  which  it 
is  to  be  formed  being  mixed  with  it. 

5.  I  have  a  trough  filled  with  water,  and  larger 
than  the  object  to  be  marbled,  on  which  I  throw  the 
color  ground  up  with  the  varnish  of  linseed  oil,  weaker 
than  that  used  in  the  preparation,  to  which  the  essence 
of  turpentine  and  a  little  table  oil  is  added. 

6.  "  With  the  breath  and  a  small  stick,  I  arrange 
this  thick  substance  upon  the  water  in  such  a  manner 
as  to  give  to  the  foreign  body  which  I  afterwards  dip 
in  it,  all  the  different  shades,  designs,  and  peculiari- 
ties which  are  found  in  nature. 

7.  I  then  dip  the  foreign  body,  coated  with  the 
first  preparation,  and  well  dried,  in  the  trough,  and 
draw  it  forth  again  ornamented  with  veins  and  shades, 
naturally  arranged,  which  the  most  skillful  painter 
could  not  reproduce,  since  this  is  a  simple  efi'ect  of 
nature,  while  his  would  be  but  an  incorrect  copy. 

8.  "  I  then  give  it  a  coat  of  fine  varnish,  or  two  if 
necessary — it  being  understood  that  it  should  be  thor- 
oughly dried  after  each  operation,  before  commencing 
the  following  one. 


COMPOSITION  OF  ARTIFICIAL  MARBLE. 


159 


9.  ^'  Finally,  to  obtain  the  smootbDess  and  appear- 
ance of  genuine  Marble,  I  give  a  polishing  stroke  to 
the  whole,  which  neither  impairs  the  brilliancy  of  the 
colors,  or  affects  the  surface  to  which  the  composition 
has  been  applied." 

^  126.  Three  years  later,  M.  Riotet  made  farther 
discoveries  in  this  art.  His  idea  was  to  veneer  with 
artificial  Marble  as  a  substitute  for  rosewood,  ma- 
hogany, and  citron  wood,  both  for  the  inside  of  boxes, 
dressing  and  night  tables,  and  the  top  of  various  arti- 
cles of  furniture  ;  besides  which,  he  composed  an  arti- 
ficial mosaic,  which  he  calls  Parisian  mosaic.  He 
makes  the  following  statement  of  a  process  which  he 
claims  to  be  both  simple  and  economical : 

"  Substitute  for  slabs  of  natural  Marble,  those  of 
the  artificial  Marble,  of  equal  solidity  and  somewhat 
less  weight.  Increase  the  beauty  of  the  article  manu- 
factured by  the  variety  of  colors  which  this  artificial 
Marble  may  be  made  to  assume,  and,  above  all,  by  the 
application  of  a  genuine  mosaic,  designed  with  all  the 
art  which  is  used  in  the  composition  of  mosaics  upon 
stone.  This  is  the  object  which  I  have  had  in  view, 
and  which  I  have  finally  been  permitted  to  attain. 

"  The  composition  which  I  use  for  the  manufacture 
of  artificial  Marble  designed  for  veneering,  and  for  the 
fabrication  of  the  mosaic,  is  a  mixture.  The  two  sub- 
stances, when  united,  acquire  a  great  solidity ;  the 
gum  arable  diminishes  the  excessive  draught  of  the 
gelatine  during  the  drying  process  and  the  cabinet 


160  THE  MARBLE  WORKERS^  MANUAL. 


work  ;  in  a  word,  by  the  union  of  these  two  substances, 
a  complete  substitute  for  Marble  is  obtained  in  all  its 
applications  to  veneering,  and  also  to  the  fabrication  of 
articles  of  furniture,  dressing-cases,  ornamental  clocks, 
etc." 

COMPOSITION  OF  THE  SLABS  OF  MARBLE. 

Weigh  equal  quantities  of  gum  arable  and  gelatine, 
hydrate  each  separately,  only  softening  the  gelatine 
enough  to  render  it  entirely  flexible. 

Place  the  gum  arable  entirely  in  solution  in  the 
smallest  possible  quantity  of  water;  when  it  is  dis- 
solved, strain  it  through  a  coarse  cloth  in  order  to 
separate  all  foreign  substances. 

When  both  are  thus  prepared,  melt  the  gelatine  in 
a  porcelain  vessel  placed  in  a  water-bath,  leave  it  to 
boil  until  a  species  of  skin  produced  by  the  scum  which 
the  gelatine  always  contains  is  formed  upon  the  sur- 
face of  the  liquid. 

During  the  boiling  of  the  gelatine,  prepare  the  dif- 
ferent colors  which  are  to  shade  and  to  form  the  veins 
and  coloring  of  the  Marble. 

These  colors  should  be  fine,  and  ground  in  water; 
those  most  used  are  silver  leaf,  white  lead,  chrome  yel- 
low, carmine  lake,  English  green,  and  all  the  colors 
which  are  generally  found  in  commerce — the  gum  and 
gelatine  receiving  them  all. 

These  difi'erent  colors  are  ground  in  water,  and 
placed  separately  in  vessels  designed  for  this  purpose. 


CASTING  THE  SLABS. 


161 


PREPARATION  FOR  CASTING  THE  SLABS. 

§  127.  The  slabs  of  Marble  are  east  upon  a  polished 
Marble  of  an  inch  and  a  half  in  thickness  and  about 
thirty-five  inches  square,  which  is  placed  upon  a  strong 
wooden  frame  resembling  a  table ;  care  being  taken  to 
place  this  Marble  upon  a  perfect  level,  so  that  the  ma- 
terial in  running,  may  be  of  an  equal  thickness. 

Spread  a  little  suet  over  the  Marble  to  prevent  the 
adhesion  of  the  material. 

The  Marble  being  thus  prepared,  place  a  wooden 
frame  of  about  one-third  of  an  inch  in  thickness  upon 
it.  to  receive  and  retain  the  material  when  it  is  cast. 

As  regards  the  size  of  this  frame,  supposing  that 
slabs  of  twenty-five  inches  square  are  wished,  it  will 
only  be  necessary  to  cast  them  twenty-one  or  two 
inches,  for,  in  the  succeeding  operation  of  tanning, 
the  slabs  will  expand  three  or  four  inches  which  will 
give  them  the  desired  size. 

As  so  slender  a  frame  will  not  rest  well  upon  the 
Marble,  it  should  be  supported  by  thick  wooden  wedges, 
clasped  with  a  cabinet  maker's  hand  screw. 

CASTING. 

^  128.  When  a  slab  of  Marble  of  four  colors,  yel- 
low, green,  black  and  white,  is  to  be  made;  after  the 
gelatine  is  boiled  and  the  gum  is  well  dissolved,  take 


162 


THE   MARBLE  WORKERs'  MANUAL. 


a  sufficient  quantity  of  each  of  these  colors  to  color  a 
quart  in  the  whole  of  the  gum  and  gelatine  used  in 
the  operation,  place  these  separately  in  small  earthen 
pans,  take  the  solution  of  gum,  and  pour  an  equal 
quantity  in  each  of  these  pans  in  order  to  dilute  the 
colors,  (care  being  taken  that  every  particle  of  color 
is  diluted,)  then  take  the  gelatine,  which  must  be 
strained  through  a  cloth  to  make  it  clear,  and  pour 
the  same  quantity  into  the  pans  in  which  the  colors 
have  been  diluted  with  the  gum.  Stir  the  whole  well 
with  a  brush,  that  the  mass  may  be  well  mixed  and 
the  color  uniformly  distributed  through  the  liquid,  let 
it  rest  for  a  few  moments  in  order  to  give  the  bubbles 
of  air  which  have  formed  during  the  agitation,  time 
to  come  to  the  surface;  then  remove  these  with  a 
skimmer  until  the  liquid  is  entirely  free  from  them  : 
This  is  very  important  in  obtaining  smooth  slabs  of 
Marble.  When  this  has  been  done,  pour  these  four 
different  colors  into  a  vessel  especially  designed  for 
this  purpose,  and  which  may  be  described  as  resem- 
bling four  funnels  joined  together,  the  tubes  resting 
against  each  other. 

It  can  be  easily  understood  that,  on  leaving  the 
orifice  of  each  of  these  tubes,  the  colors  mix  and  unite 
in  spreading  over  the  Marble,  thus  forming  the  rich 
and  varied  shades  of  the  finest  Marbles,  lapis,  por- 
phyry, etc. 

This  may  be  done  in  a  different  manner  when  imi- 
tations of  ribboned  stones  are  wished.    For  this,  pour 


TANNAGE  OF  THE  SLABS  OF  MARBLE. 


163 


each  of  the  colors  separately  upon  the  Marble,  taking 
care  to  spread  them  in  small  pools  over  the  whole  sur- 
face ;  then,  with  a  wooden  spatula,  form  the  ribboned 
shades  which  are  wished,  by  lightly  moving  the  mix- 
ture. 

In  both  these  operations,  the  last  in  particular,  it 
is  impossible  to  prevent  the  formation  of  bubbles  of 
air  in  the  agitation.  The  best  method  of  destroying 
them  is,  after  the  material  has  congealed,  to  take  a 
fine  wet  sponge,  and  burst  these  bubbles  by  gently 
striking  them,  When  this  has  been  done,  take  a  thin 
plate  of  sheet  iron  about  twelve  inches  square,  with 
the  edges  raised  in  such  a  manner  as  to  hold  burning 
coals ;  pass  this  over  the  surface,  as  near  to  it  as  pos- 
sible without  touching  the  material. 

This  intense  heat  will  melt  the  surface  of  the  slab, 
and  close  the  vacuum  formed  by  the  bubbles  of  air. 

TANNAGE  OF  THE  SLABS  OF  MARBLE. 

^  129.  The  most  important  operation  in  the  com- 
position of  artificial  Marbles  is  that  of  tannage,  with- 
out which  it  would  be  impossible  for  the  cabinet  ma- 
ker to  scrape  and  polish  the  material.  It  would  be 
too  malleable  for  any  use. 

It  is  very  evident  that  a  soluble  matter  like  the 
gelatine  and  gum  would  melt  by  the  heat  caused  by 
the  scraper  and  cling  to  it  in  particles,  in  which  case 
instead  of  smoothing  them,  the  tool  would  produce  a 
contrary  effect. 


164 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS''  MANUAL. 


The  result  of  this  tauDage  is,  to  render  the  gum  and 
gelatine  insoluble,  even  in  boiling  water,  and  to  trans- 
form it  into  a  substance  resembling  horn.  In  this 
state,  indeed,  the  material  is  scraped  and  polished  in 
the  same  manner  as  horn. 

§  130.  For  this  operation,  a  tank  lined  with  lead 
of  about  twenty-seven  inches  in  length,  and  fifty  in 
breadth  is  required,  as  room  is  necessary  to  change 
the  place  of  the  slabs  which  are  placed  in  it. 

This  tank  is  designed  for  the  reception  of  the  liquid 
possessing  the  property  of  tanning. 

This  liquid  is  composed  of  one  part  of  the  sulphate 
of  alumina  based  on  potash,  and  twenty  parts  of 
water. 

Pour  this  liquid  into  the  tank,  and  place  the  slabs 
in  it,  leaving  them  until  their  entire  thickness  is 
thoroughly  penetrated  by  the  liquid.  To  be  sure  of 
this,  by  cutting  off  a  small  corner  it  can  be  seen  how 
far  it  has  penetrated,  that  part  which  has  absorbed 
the  liquid  will  present  a  shining  appearance,  while  that 
which  is  not  penetrated  will  be  of  a  dull  color. 

When  the  liquid  has  entirely  penetrated  the  slabs, 
draw  them  from  the  tank,  wash  them  in  clear  water  and 
wipe  them  carefully ;  then  fix  them  on  strong  wooden 
frames  by  the  aid  of  very  strong  plaits  of  thread 
coated  with  glue.  Glue  a  light  cloth  upon  the  frame 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  sustain  the  weight  of  the  shibs 
during  the  drying  process,  and  then  expose  them  to 


FABRICATION  OF  MOSAICS. 


165 


the  open  air  upon  benches,  leaving  space  enough  be- 
tween them  to  permit  the  air  to  circulate  freely. 

When  the  drying  is  complete,  moisten  the  cloth  and 
plaits  that  hold  the  slab  in  the  frame,  carefully,  in 
order  to  avoid  breaking  the  slabs. 

FABRICATION  OF  MOSAICS. 

^131.  This  composition  of  gum  and  gelatine  can 
not  only  be  made  to  assume  the  form  and  appearance 
of  Marble,  but  with  small  fillets  of  various  colors, 
ornamental  work,  such  as  mosaic,  may  also  be  ob- 
tained. 

The  different  experiments  which  I  have  made  con- 
vince me  that  one  could,  by  my  process,  attain  the 
perfection  of  the  ancient  mosaics;  this  would  be  of 
great  importance  to  many  of  the  arts,  such  as  jewelry, 
bronze,  and  cabinet  work  in  particular,  in  which  noth- 
ing of  the  kind  has  ever  been  known. 

It  is  easy  to  imagine  the  effect  which  a  "mosaic  of 
flowers  or  any  other  design  would  produce  upon  an 
article  of  furniture. 

Until  the  present  time,  mosaic  work  has  kept  many 
amateurs  at  a  distance  by  its  high  price.  By  my  pro- 
cess it  can  be  easily  used  in  various  arts,  since  a  dimi- 
nution of  at  least  four-fifths  of  its  price  is  procured. 

To  make  a  boquet  of  flowers,  or  a  rose,  fur  instance, 
the  design  must  first  be  executed  in  water  colors  by  a 
skillful  artist.  This  design  is  then  divided  into 
squares  like  the  patterns  for  needle-work.    By  this 


166  THE  MARBLE  WORKERS'  MANUAL. 


means  this  rose  will  be  divided  into  at  least  a  thou- 
sand little  squares  containing  all  the  shades.  These 
squares  traced  on  the  design  show  the  nuniber  of  fil- 
lets necessary  to  the  formation  of  the  rose,  these  be- 
ing shaded  precisely  like  the  design. 

By  joining  these  square  fillets  together,  the  model 
will  be  exactly  reproduced. 

For  the  fabrication  of  these  fillets,  slabs  of  plain 
colors  should  be  made  by  the  process  which  I  have 
just  described  for  the  Marble. 

^  132.  In  executing  a  design,  it  is  important  to 
study  carefully  the  shades  of  each  flower.  It  is  evi- 
dent that  at  least  six  shades  are  needed  to  form  the 
rose  ;  namely,  white,  which  forms  the  light,  light  rose, 
rose,  deep  rose,  red,  and  dark  red  which  gives  the 
shade. 

Proceed  in  the  same  manner  for  all  other  flowers  of 
difi'erent  colors. 

When  the  difi'erent  colored  slabs  which  are  needed 
in  the  composition  of  the  mosaic  are  dry,  remove 
them  from  the  frames  in  the  manner  which  I  have 
just  described  for  the  Marble.  Soak  them  in  the 
trough  in  pure  water  for  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
until  they  are  flexible,  then  place  the  slab  thus  mois- 
tened between  two  blocks  of  wood  so  that  the  surface 
may  be  entirely  covered,  leave  it  thus  for  twelve  hours 
in  order  to  give  the  water  time  to  penetrate  it  thor- 
oughly and  then  proceed  to  the  cutting  of  the  fillets. 

For  this  operation  in  which  the  fillets  should  all 


tiNCilANGEABLE  CHINESE  PAINTINGS. 


167 


be  of  the  same  size,  this  regularity  can  only  be  ob- 
tained  by  a  fillet-cutter,  formed  with  precision. 

GLUEING  OF  THE  FILLETS  TO  FORM  THE  DESIGN. 

§  133.  When  the  design  is  to  be  formed  by  the  col- 
lection of  the  fillets,  the  design  which  is  divided  into 
squares  must  be  used. 

We  will  suppose  this  design  to  be  divided  in  one 
direction  in  fifty  lines,  which  are  themselves  crossed 
by  fifty  others,  thus  giving  a  total  of  two  thousand 
five  hundred  fillets ;  these  fillets  should  be  glued  in 
straight  lines  of  fifty  fillets  each,  calculating  the  shades 
which  should  compose  them  from  the  pattern,  with  the 
aid  of  a  tool  designed  to  keep  the  fillets  in  place  while 
they  are  being  glued. 

When  the  rows  have  been  thus  glued  and  carefully 
numbered,  they  should  be  placed  upon  each  other,  ac- 
cording to  their  numbers,  In  such  a  manner  as  to  form 
a  block,  which  should  be  surrounded  with  strong  pa- 
per or  thin  wood  in  order  that  the  fillets  may  not  be 
unglued  in  cutting  this  block  in  slices. 

UNCHANGEABLE  CHINESE  PAINTINGS. 

^134.  These  paintings  are  executed  upon  paper, 
and  covered  over  with  a  very  transparent  and  well 
tanned  sheet  of  gum  and  gelatine,  prepared  by  the 
same  process  as  the  slabs  of  art:(iciiil  Marble. 

When  the  drying  process  is  complete,  scrape  one 
side  of  the  sheet  with  a  cabinet  maker's  scraper  until 


168 


THE  MARBLE 


WORKERS^  MANUAL^ 


it  is  perfectly  smooth.  Then  detach  it  from  the  frame 
and  cut  it  in  the  shape  and  size  of  the  articles  which 
it  is  to  cover. 

Use  gum  arable  dissolved  in  water  for  the  applica- 
tion of  the  designs ;  spread  a  coating  of  it  over  the 
transparent  sheet,  lay  on  the  design  and  glue  it  by 
means  of  a  strong  pressure  under  a  press. 

One  important  precaution  should  be  taken  in  order 
that  the  glue  used  by  the  cabinet  maker  in  veneer- 
ing, may  not  penetrate  through  the  paper;  namely,  to 
spread  a  coating  of  strong  glue  upon  the  side  which 
is  to  be  veneered,  afterwards  sprinkling  it  with  well 
dried  Bougival  white  by  means  of  a  silken  sieve.  This 
operation  should  be  repeated  twice  at  least ;  it  is  then 
left  to  dry,  and  afterwards  inlaid  in  veneerings  and 
cuttings. 

^135.  The  provinces  also  endeavored  in  1842,  to 
produce  artificial  Marbles.  M.  Mondon,  of  Vienna, 
claimed  to  have  found  a  material  suitable  for  this  pur- 
pose in  the  department  of  Charente.  He  calls  it 
gypseous  alabaster — a  soft  substance  which  must  first 
be  hardened  in  the  following  manner  : 

Put  the  pieces  to  be  worked  in  a  furnace,  placed 
ripoa  sheets  of  zinc,  which  are  formed  in  such  a  man- 
rer  as  to  hold  water.  This  furnace  should  be  built  so 
'that  the  pieces  may  not  come  in  contact  with  the  fire ; 
leave  them  for  an  hour  exposed  to  the  action  of  a  heat 
not  strong  enough  to  bake  them,  for  this  substance  be- 
ingg3^pseous,  they  would  thus  be  reduced  to  baked  plas- 


UNCHANGEABLE  CHINESE  PAINTINCS.  169 


ter  and  would  have  do  solidity.  When  the  material  is 
well  heated  and  freed  from  all  humidity,  the  pieces 
should  be  sprinkled  with  tepid  water  in  which  a  quanti- 
ty of  alum,  proportioned  to  the  number  of  pieces,  has 
been  dissolved  ;  they  may  even  be  soaked  in  it  for  a 
moment.  The  tepid  water  which  has  not  been  absorbed 
by  the  material  is  then  removed,  and  cold  water  is 
placed  in  them. 

By  this  means  they  attain  such  a  degree  of  hard- 
ness, that  the  final  polish  can  only  be  given  after  suc- 
cessively using  the  sand-stone,  pumice-stone,  and 
shave-grass ;  care  being  taken  to  constantly  sprinkle 
the  piece,  as  it  will  otherwise  be  impossible  to  polish 
it ;  lastly,  a  little  white  wax  is  spread  upon  a  linen 
cloth,  and,  by  rubbing  with  this,  the  finest  white  Mar- 
ble is  obtained. 

The  colored  Marbles  are  made  in  the  same  manner^ 
with  the  exception  of  the  dissolution  of  the  color 
wished  for  the  Marble  in  the  water  which  is  used  to 
harden  it,  using  Campeachy  wood  for  the  red,  indigo 
for  the  blue  and  white  Marble,  etc. 

^  136.  M.  Buisson  of  Bordeaux,  also  took  out  a 
patent  on  the  14th  of  December,  1842.  He  gives  the 
following  recipe. 

A  block  of  eighty  inches  in  length  and  twenty-five 
in  width,  should  be  placed  in  a  sheet  iron  basin  about 
three  feet  in  depth,  and  somewhat  longer  and  broader 
than  the  block.    Place  this  basin  in  a  kiln  heated  to 


170 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS^  MANUAL. 


twenty-eight  degrees,  and  maintain  the  same  degree 
of  heat  for  five  hours. 

At  the  end  of  this  time,  fill  the  basin  with  boiling 
water  in  which  a  solution  of  two  and  one-fifth  pounds 
of  common  alum  in  twelve  quarts  of  water  has  first 
been  poured. 

The  basin  should  be  kept  filled  wiili  the  same  wa- 
ter for  seventy-two  hours,  a  gentle  heat  being  main- 
tained in  the  kiln,  in  order  that  the  block  of  Marble 
may  become  thoroughly  impregnated,  and  acquire  the 
hardness  of  Marble. 

The  Cognac  plaster  produces  statuary  Marble  of 
the  greatest  purity. 

The  Eouen  plaster  produces  the  same,  but  with  less 
whiteness. 

For  Marbles  of  two  and  a  half  inches  in  thickness 
for  fronts  of  buildings,  mantels  of  chimney  pieces, 
pavements,  etc.,  the  same  process  is  used,  but  the 
plaster  stones  must  first  be  sawed  to  the  required  di- 
mensions and  placed  in  the  basin  at  the  distance  of 
two  inches  apart,  and  baked  for  five  hours  in  the 
kiln  heated  to  the  degree  we  have  mentioned,  after 
which,  water  prepared  in  the  manner  before  described 
is  pcur'^d  upon  them,  and  the  whole  is  left  undisturbed- 
for  twenty-four  liOurs. 

^  137.  In  order  to  obtain  difi'erent  tints,  the  fol- 
lowing drugs  are  dissolved  in  the  alum  water. 

For  black;  four-fifths  of  a  grain,  Troy  weight,  of 
bulaquCj  three-teiiths  of  a  grain  of  verdigris,  and  as 


OF  TERRACES. 


171 


much  copperas,  in  twelve  quarts  of  water  and  two  and 
one-fifth  pounds  of  alum,  avoirdupois. 

For  rose ;  three  and  a  half  pints  of  the  decoction 
of  old  Brazil  wood,  in  twelve  quarts  of  water,  and  two 
and  one-fifth  pounds  of  alum. 

For  yellow;  two  and  one-fifth  pounds  avoirdupois 
of  woad  or  dyers'  weed,  in  the  above  quantity  of 
alum  water. 


SECTION  FIFTH. 

OF  TERRACES. 

^  138.  If  Marble  workers  confined  themselves  to 
working  upon  Marble  alone,  we  should  deem  it  unne- 
cessary to  give  practical  instructions  concerning  the 
construction  of  antique  areas,  or  pavements  of  terraces. 
But  they  often  have  to  execute  works  which  properly 
belong  to  the  province  of  stone  cutters,  in  which  they 
do  not  succeed,  either  for  want  of  proper  foundations 
on  which  to  work,  or  because  they  have  not  good  ma- 
terials, or  for  want  of  mastics  solid  enough  to  resist  the 
inclemency  of  the  seasons.  It  is  therefore  of  the  great- 
est importance,  that  they  should  be  placed  in  posses- 
sion of  information  which  may  enable  them  to  over- 
come the  obstacles  with  which  they  have  to  contend* 


172  THE  MARBLE  WORKERS'  MANUAL. 


VTtruviuat,  after  having  spoken  of  the  stuccos  of  his 
time  and  described  their  composition,  said  that  they 
made  use  of  similar  methods  to  form  areas  upon  ter- 
races in  courtyards  and  apartments.  Before  the  com- 
position had  driedj  they  incrusted  small  pieces  of 
colored  Marble  in  it  to  ornament  it.  Sometimes  they 
only  mixed  crushed  tile  with  the  coating,  which  gave 
it  the  appearance  of  a  kind  of  red  granite,  and  also  in- 
creased its  solidity.  This  last  composition  was  called 
opus  signinum^  from  the  city  of  Signia,  celebrated  for 
the  excellence  of  its  tiles. 

^  139.  The  art  of  constructing  areas  of  the  pave- 
ments of  terraces,  says  M.  Hericart  de  Thury,  being 
now  nearly  lost  or  forgotten,  it  is  very  desirable  to 
find  some  one  sufficiently  versed  in  the  theory  and 
practice  of  this  art  to  draw  up  some  elemeniary  instruc- 
tions, designed  to  enlighten  workmen  in  respect  to  the 
principles  of  the  ancients  in  relation  to  the  construc- 
tion of  antique  areas. 

^  140.  M.  Laudier,  former  chief  of  the  engineering 
batallion,  in  his  campaigns  had  closely  studied  the 
antique  areas  and  the  pavements  of  Venetian  terraces, 
and  has  employed  his  leisure  in  preparing  an  elemen- 
tary treatise  upon  this  subject.  We  shall  extract 
from  this  whatever  information  may  be  useful  to 
Marble  workers,  masons,  and  stone  cutters. 


PREPARATION  OF  THE  AREA. 


173 


I  -'^/^/^  r  ^^^^^ 


CHAPTER  FIEST.  Ml'^}  J 


PREPARATION  OF  THE  AREA. 


OF  THE  FIRST  COATING, 


^  141.  Pavements  and  Venetian  terraces  are  built 
in  apartments,  ground  floors,  over  vaults,  and  upon 
frame  work  covered  with  boards,  not  only  in  covered 
places  but  also  in  the  open  air.  In  all  cases  the  man- 
ner of  constructing  them  is  precisely  the  same ;  care 
must  be  taken,  however,  in  laying  the  first  coating 
upon  a  ground  floor,  that  the  plane  surface  should  be 
dry  and  the  earth  well  trod  down  and  perfectly  level. 

When  this  is  done,  the  overseer  of  the  work  draws 
marks  in  the  angles  of  the  apartment,  two  inches  from 
the  ground,  and  then,  with  a  rule,  connects  these 
marks  by  a  thick,  black  line.  This  ground  is  then 
covered  with  the  first  coating,  consisting  of  old  plaster, 
work  and  bricks,  which  is  spread  over  it  smoothly  and 
pressed  down  to  the  height  of  the  black  mark.  This 
is  then  again  compressed  with  the  beetle,  and  is  moist- 
ened with  lime  water  during  this  operation  by  means 
of  small  brooms. 

To  level  this  mass,  the  rule  and  level  are  used. 


174 


THE 


MARBLE  workers'  MANUAL. 


OF  THE  SECOND  COATING.  . 

^  142.  Another  black  line  is  drawn  around  the 
apartment,  about  three  inches  above  the  first.  This 
line  determines  the  thickness  of  the  second  coating, 
which  is  also  composed  of  plaster  work  and  old  bricks, 
prepared  in  the  following  manner :  the  plaster  work 
and  bricks  are  first  pounded  together,  and  then  mixed 
with  lime  and  sand,  thus  forminor  a  thick  mortar. 

When  a  sufl&cient  quantity  of  the  mortar  has  been 
prepared,  it  is  laid  on  the  first  coating  to  the  thickness 
of  three  inches,  this  mass  is  then  spread  over  the  sur- 
face and  harrowed  with  an  iron  rake,  and  is  then 
smoothed  with  a  lath,  the  level  being  used.  It  is  then 
moistened  with  lime  water  and  compressed  again  with 
the  beetle,  pounded  with  an  iron  rammer  until  the 
coating  resembles  a  wall  freshly  plastered,  and  finally 
pressed  down  again  with  the  beetle.  When  this  sec- 
ond coating  is  nearly  dry,  the  third,  called  the  red 
coating,  is  applied. 

COMPOSITION  OF  THE  RED  COATING. 

^  143.  For  this  purpose,  old  or  new  tiles  are  pound- 
ed, and  then  passed  through  a  coarse  sieve ;  when  a 
sufficient  quantity  has  thus  been  prepared,  it  is  put  in 
heaps,  after  first  separating  any  pieces  that  may  have 
mixed  with  it. 

To  make  the  mixture,  two  heaps  are  formed,  one 


MANNER  OF  APPLYING  THE  RED  COATING.  175 


containing  two-thirds  of  the  crushed  bricks,  and  the 
other  one-third  of  lime;  these  are  thrown  by  alternate 
shovelfulls  into  a  third  heap,  thus  amalgamating  the 
bricks  and  lime;  this  dry  mass  is  then  turned  over 
with  an  iron  rake  until  it  is  thoroughly  mixed. 

When  this  has  been  turned  several  times,  it  is  sprin- 
kled with  water,  and  then  stirred  again  with  the  rake, 
until  it  has  acquired  the  consistency  of  partially  com- 
pact mortar;  which  it  will  soon  do  if  the  tiles  were 
well  dried  when  mixed, 

MANNER  OF  APPLYING  THE  RED  COATING. 

^  144.  The  mortar  is  spread  over  the  surface  in  the 
manner  before  described.  This  coating  should  be 
from  two  to  two  and  a  half  inches  in  thickness.  If 
the  second  coating  is  found  too  dry  to  yield  to  the 
red  mortar  and  to  properly  unite  with  it,  the  whole 
floor  must  be  sprinkled,  and  when  the  surface  is  suffi- 
ciently moistened,  the  mortar  is  thrown  on  it  in  heaps, 
and  then  evenly  spread  over  with  the  iron  rake. 

In  ordinary  cases,  the  rule  and  level  are  applied  to 
every  part  of  the  room,  and  the  whole  is  carefully  lev- 
eled. The  whole  thickness  of  the  three  coatings,  par- 
ticularly in  rooms  upon  the  ground  floor  where  damp- 
ness is  to  be  feared,  should  be  from  seven  to  eight 
inches;  it  is  a  good  plan  to  arrange  little  trenches  by 
which  the  water  can  run  off. 

When  the  leveling  is  finished,  the  whole  surface 


176 


THE   MARBLE  V/ORKERS'  MANUAL. 


should  be  consolidated  and  made  perfectly  smootfe 
with  the  iron  beetle. 

The  leveling,  in  this  part  of  the  work,  is  made  in 
the  following  manner  : 

When  the  red  mass  is  spread  out,  a  well  planed  lath, 
which  should  be  as  long  as  the  width  of  the  room,  is 
laid  upon  the  ground.  Two  workmen,  each  in  the 
corner  of  the  apartment,  place  this  lath  lengthwise, 
and  then,  by  drawing  it  along,  always  keeping  it  on 
the  same  level,  they  remove  the  surface  of  the  mortar, 
constantly  applying  the  level  in  order  to  secure  a  per- 
fect leveling. 

The  coating  of  mortar  being  thus  perfectly  leveled, 
it  is  beaten  with  the  iron  rammer  and  the  beetle.  The 
red  mortar  in  the  corners  of  the  room  should  be  beat- 
en as  soon  as  spread  on,  as  it  dries  much  sooner  than 
that  in  the  middle. 

OF  THE  FOURTH  COATING. 

§  145.  A  white  coating  is  spread  over  the  red  coat 
which  is  called  lo  stabilido  or  il  bianco  ;  this  coating 
is  prepared  in  the  following  manner  : 

A  quantity  of  white  or  greyish  marble  is  pounded 
into  small  fragments,  or  rather  grains,  which  are  then 
passed  through  a  sieve  of  iron  wire,  fine  enough  to 
only  permit  the  passage  of  that  resembling  coarse 
sand.  Two  parts  of  this  coarse  sand  is  then  mixed 
with  one  part  lime,  and  the  whole  is  amalgamated  un- 
til it  acquires  the  consistency  of  a  stiff  mortar^  which 
is  called  by  the  workmen,  il  bianco. 


APPLICATION   OF  THE  MARBLE  MORTAR.  177 


OF  THE  APPLICATION  OF  THE  MARBLE  MORTAR. 

^  146.  When  a  sufficient  quantity  of  the  Marble 
mortar  has  been  prepared,  it  is  placed  in  a  trough  and 
carried  into  the  room  in  which  the  pavement  is  made, 
and  then  spread  over  the  red  coating  in  the  following 
manner  : 

A  workman  with  a  mason's  trowel  throws  the  mor- 
tar in  small  heaps  in  straight  lines,  about  three  inches 
apart ;  a  second  workman  then  spreads  them  evenly 
over  the  whole  surface  of  the  floor  with  a  round  steel 
trowel. 

The  thickness  of  this  coating  of  Marble  mortar 
should  be  from  three  to  three  and  a  half  inches. 

Any  color  that  may  be  wished  may  be  given  to  this 
mortar,  by  using  yellow,  green,  or  any  other  colored 
Marble ;  but  white  Marble  is  usually  preferred,  as  the 
designs  appear  to  better  advantage  on  it,  as  well  as 
the  pieces  of  Marble. 

When  the  coating  of  white  mortar  begins  to  dry, 
the  design  should  be  lightly  traced  upon  it ;  after 
which  the  second  part  of  the  process  begins,  which 
consists  in  applying  the  different  colored  Marbles 
needed  to  compose  the  design  which  has  been  traced. 


178  THE  MARBLE  WORKERS^  MANUAL.  i 


CHAPTER  SECOND. 

WORKING  OF  THE  MARBLE. 

METHOD   OF  BREAKING  THE  MARBLE. 

^  147.  While  part  of  the  workmen  are  employed  in 
laying  down  the  first,  second,  third,  and  fourth  coat- 
ings, another  workman  sorts  the  difi"erent  colors  of 
Marble  suitable  to  the  design.  Fragments  of  old^ 
broken  Marbles,  which  are  no  longer  of  use,  will  serve 
for  this  purpose.  Indeed  they  are  those  best  suited 
to  this  kind  of  work,  since  one  side  of  them  is  polished. 
In  respect  to  those  used  for  the  mortar,  their  form  is 
indifferent,  since  they  are  only  used  after  having  been 
crushed. 

The  different  sorts  of  Marbles  are  broken  with  a 
mallet  into  small  pieces,  the  largest  of  which  should 
not  exceed  two  and  a  half  or  three  inches  in  length 
and  as  many  in  width,  and  with  no  regularity  of  form ; 
these  are  then  thrown  in  heaps  according  to  their 
colors. 

These  heaps  are  next  passed  through  a  large  iron 
sieve,  in  order  to  separate  the  large  and  small  pieces, 
thus  forming  two  distinct  portions* 


X)F  THE  APPLICATION  OF  THE  MARBLE. 


179 


When  all  the  outlines  of  the  design  have  been  traced 
on  the  floor,  and  the  color  of  each  of  them  has  been 
decided,  the  workmen  commence  by  making  framings 
of  small  pieces  of  Marble  of  a  suitable  color,  which 
they  fit  in  the  mass  with  as  much  regularity  as  possi- 
ble, taking  care  always  to  place  their  largest  side  on 
the  line  of  the  design,  and  the  irregular  sides  within 
the  framing. 

When  these  little  pieces  are  properly  placed,  the 
workman  presses  them  down  with  his  thumb,  continu- 
ing through  the  lines  in  this  manner  before  proceeding 
to  the  inside  of  the  framing,  which  does  not  demand 
the  same  regularity. 

OF  THE  APPLICATION  OF  THE  MARBLE. 

^  148.  For  this  process,  the  workman  fills  his  apron 
pockets  with  pieces  of  the  different  colored  Marbles 
needed  in  the  design  ;  he  then  kneels,  and,  following 
the  outline  of  the  design,  presses  the  small  pieces  of 
Marble  with  his  thumb  exactly  side  by  side,  in  the 
partially  softened  mass  which  forms  the  fourth  coating. 

The  framing  of  the  design  being  formed  with  these 
pieces,  which  should  be  as  nearly  as  possible  of  the 
same  size,  he  proceeds  to  the  inlaying  of  the  centre 
ground,  commonly  called  the  mirror. 

When  the  mirror  contains  no  design,  he  simply  takes 
pieces  of  Marble  of  what  should  be  the  prevailing 
color  ;  or,  what  is  better,  he  uses  Marbles  of  different 
colorSj  which  produces  a  beautiful  effect. 


180 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS^  MANtTAL, 


MANNER  OF  PAVING  THE  MIRROR. 

^  149.  The  pieces  of  the  kind  and  color  of  Marbles 
which  should  preyail  in  the  mirror  should  be  larger 
than  the  others^  and  also  as  flat  as  possible ;  the 
workman  spreads  them  over  the  floor,  leaving  them 
to  be  arranged  by  chancej  only  taking  care  that  they 
shall  not  be  too  close  together. 

The  mirror  being  covered,  all  those  pieces  should 
be  laid  fiat  which^  in  fallings  took  some  other  position^ 
0^  turned  their  polished  side  downwards.  To  place 
them  in  this  manner  the  workmen  use  several  planks, 
upon  V7hich  they  kneel  and  thus  advance,  working  di- 
rectly before  them. 

These  large  fragments,  flatly  placed  at  a  proper 
distance  from  each  other,  give  the  prevailing  color  to 
the  mirror.  After  this,  all  the  spaces  between  the 
large  fragments  are  filled  up  with  smaller  pieces  of 
different  colored  Marbles  ;  such  as  white,  red,  yellow, 
black,  reddish,  greenish,  etc.,  thus  forming  a  mixture 
of  colors  beautifully  shaded. 

To  ascertain  whether  the  colors  produce  a  good  ef- 
fect, the  part  which  is  finished  is  sprinkled  with  a 
broom  dipped  in  water;  this  draws  forth  all  the  bril- 
liancy of  the  colors. 

Tlie  floor  bein^  paved  in  the  manner  described,  the 
pressure  by  the  stone  cylinder  next  succeeds. 


USE  OF  THE   STONE  CYLINDER. 


181 


USE  OF  THE  STONE  CYLINDER. 

§  150.  Before  using  this  cylinder,  the  whole  floor 
should  be  well  sprinkled  with  water,  so  that  not  only 
the  white  coating  may  be  softened,  but  also  the  red 
mortar  which  is  beneath  it.  This  being  done,  the 
cylinder  should  be  carefully  placed,  so  as  not  to  dis- 
arrange the  small  pieces  of  Marble,  and  first  rolled 
over  the  edge  of  the  mirror  nearest  the  door.  The 
work  should  always  commence  at  this  point,  in  order 
to  avoid  the  effacing  of  the  drawing  in  going  in  and 
out. 

The  cylinder  rolls  forward  and  backward,  and  the 
place  over  which  it  passes  should  be  well  sprinkled 
frequently  with  water. 

The  corners  of  the  casements,  and  all  places  which 
cannot  be  reached  with  the  cylinder,  should  be  pressed 
with  the  beetle,  and  beaten  down  with  the  iron 
rammer. 

When  the  cylinder  has  been  rolled  long  enough  to 
force  the  small  pieces  of  Marble  deeply  into  the  red 
coating,  so  that  it  can  be  perceived  that  the  white  mass 
begins  to  form  a  kind  of  coat,  and  that  the  whole  is 
sufficiently  incrusted,  it  is  again  pressed  down  with 
the  beetle,  and  smoothed  over  with  the  iron  rammer. 

USE  OF  THE  SMALL  POLISHER. 

^151.  The  coating  of  Marble  having  been  well 
rolled  by  the  cylinder,  pressed  down  and  beaten,  and 


182  THE  MARBLE  WORKERS'  MANUAL. 

sunk  to  the  red  mass,  leaving  only  tbe  coat  of  white 
mortar  visible  upon  the  surface  ;  the  workmen  com- 
mence polishing  in  every  direction  with  the  small 
polisher. 

For  the  recesses  of  the  windows  and  all  other  places 
in  which  the  small  polisher  cannot  be  used,  the  work- 
man uses  a  piece  of  hone  or  coticular  stone  large 
enough  to  be  grasped  with  both  hands,  with  which  he 
polishes  all  the  corners  of  the  apartment,  also  filling 
up  all  interstices  which  may  have  formed. 

In  proportion  as  the  surface  is  polished,  a  workman 
supplied  with  a  trowel,  a  hod  filled  with  white  Marble 
mortar,  and  various  small  pieces  of  Marbles,  fills  up 
the  empty  spaces,  and  sinks  new  pieces  where  they  are 
wanting  ;  he  then  sprinkles  the  place,  and  passes  the 
polisher  over  it.  The  Marble  mortar  which  is  forced 
out  by  the  sprinkling  and  polishing,  is  in  a  liquid 
state ;  this  the  workman  removes  with  a  steel  trowel, 
forcibly  scraping  the  part  until  nothing  more  remains 
on  the  surface. 

FORCING  DOWN  THE  LARGE  PIECES  OF  MARBLE. 

^  152.  When  the  mirror  is  entirely  inlaid  with  large 
pieces  of  Marble,  some  of  which  are  found  to  rise  above 
the  others,  or  to  be  detached  from  them,  they  arc 
forced  down  again  with  a  quadrangular  wooden  prism. 
This  prism  is  placed  upon  the  piece  of  Marble,  and 
the  opposite  side  lightly  struck,  to  sink  it. 


USE  OF  THE  LARGE  POLISHER. 


183 


This  coating  of  natural  Marble  being  smoothed  down 
with  the  small  polisher,  leveled  and  worked  with  the 
steel  trowel,  and  a  slight  degree  of  polish  attained,  the 
large  polisher  or  large  grindstone  is  then  used. 

USE  OF  THE  LARGE  POLISHER. 

^  153.  The  large  polisher  consists  of  a  grindstone 
of  twenty  inches  in  diameter,  with  a  part  of  its  cylin- 
drical form  removed  ;  it  then  rests  on  a  flat  surface 
of  about  two  inches,  with  which  the  instrument  rests 
upon  the  pavement ;  this  gives  it  more  e£Pect  when  set 
in  motion. 

This  grindstone,  being  very  heavy,  should  be  worked 
by  two  men,  one  holding  the  polisher  very  near  the 
head,  and  the  other  the  middle  of  the  handle. 

During  this  operation  the  pavement  is  carefully 
sprinkled,  and  the  empty  spaces  which  may  have 
formed  are  filled  up  with  the  Marble  mortar. 

When  a  very  large  polisher  is  used,  two  men  will 
not  be  sufficient  to  work  it;  a  rope  is  then  attached 
to  the  front  of  the  grindstone,  with  which  the  third 
workman  draws  it  towards  him,  while  the  other  two 
shove  it  from  their  side. 

When  the  pavement  is  sufficiently  smoothed  by  the 
action  of  the  large  polisher,  (for  the  polish  is  not  yet 
begun,)  the  work  is  again  commenced  in  divisions  not 
exceeding  twelve  superficial  feet.  Each  of  these  must 
be  worked  in  every  direction  for  an  hour  and  a  half, 
after  which  a  workman  kneeling,  with  a  piece  of  hone  or 


184 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS'  MANUAL. 


coticular  stone,  placed  flatly,  passes  over  the  part  which 
has  just  been  worked,  rubbing  it  with  a  circular  move- 
ment. 

The  operation  of  polishing  draws  out  upon  the  sur- 
face of  the  pavement  a  liquid  matter,  arising  from  the 
sprinkling  and  the  diluted  mortars.  When  the  work- 
man has  rubbed  sufficiently  with  the  hone,  he  removes 
this  liquid  with  the  blade  of  the  steel  trowel,  passing 
it  circularly  until  the  Marble  appears  to  be  already 
half  polished. 

USE   OF   THE   IRON  RAMMER. 

^  154.  The  preceding  work  being  finished,  a  workman 
takes  an  iron  rammer,  with  which  he  gently  beats  the 
surface,  in  order  that  the  pieces  of  Marbles  may  be 
forced  still  deeper  into  the  white  and  red  masses, 
which  are  softened  by  the  frequent  snrinkling,  and 
unite  themselves  with  the  entire  mass. 

In  this  operation,  as  in  the  preceding  one,  if  any  of 
the  small  stones  have  become  deranged  by  the  rubbing 
or  pressing  down,  they  should  be  replaced  with  the 
Marble  mortar,  and  forced  down  with  the  wooden 
prism. 

The  Marble  coating  of  the  mirror  having  been  well 
polished  the  first  time,  as  has  been  said  before,  the 
same  is  repeated,  using  the  small  polisher  for  polishing 
the  borders  made  of  the  small  stones  ;  these  are  more 
easily  worked  than  the  middle,  which  requires  the  use 
of  the  large  polisher,  and  more  time. 


THIRD   AND  FOURTH  POLISHING. 


185 


After  a  second  working,  a  piece  of  hone  is  again 
used  for  removing  the  liquid  mass  drawn  out  by  the 
polishing,  and  the  surface  is  scraped  with  the  round 
trowel.  As  this  mass  has  become  very  thin  by  fre- 
quent sprinklings  and  is  no  longer  of  use,  it  is  re- 
moved in  a  bucket,  and  the  pavement  is  finally  beaten 
with  the  iron  rammer. 

THIRD  POLISHING. 

^  155.  When  the  pavement  is  somewhat  dry,  it  is 
polished  again,  as  in  the  first  and  second  polishing, 
and  the  whole  is  worked  anew  with  the  large  grind- 
stone. 

FOURTH  POLISHING. 

^  156.  The  same  process  is  repeated  for  the  fourth 
time,  always  observing  to  polish  the  corners  and  bor- 
ders with  the  small,  and  the  mirror  with  the  large 
polisher.  Not  as  much  time,  however,  is  required  for 
this.  The  half  of  that  demanded  by  the  previous  op- 
erations will  be  sufficient. 

This  work  being  finished,  the  whole  pavement  is 
rubbed  with  wheat  bran  on  a  cushion  of  wool.  When 
this  has  been  sufficiently  rubbed,  it  is  Swept  with  a 
horse  hair  brush,  after  which  the  borders  are  marked 
with  a  black  crayon,  in  order  that  they  may  not  be 
passed  in  applying  the  color. 


186  THE   MARBLE  WORKERS  MANUAL. 


PREPARATION  OF  COLORS  AND  THEIR  USES. 

^  157.  The  red  is  simply  diluted  with  water  and 
then  applied  to  the  coating  of  red  Marble. 

The  yellow  and  green  are  prepared  in  the  following 
manner  : 

Bruise  a  quantity  of  juniper  berries,  and  boil  them 
in  a  few  pints  of  water,  then  pour  off  the  water  from 
the  residuum  ;  this  water  is  used  in  grinding  the  green 
or  yellow,  which  is  mixed  well  with  the  white  mass  of 
the  Marble. 

The  colors  thus  prepared  are  laid  on  the  green  and 
yellow  borders  with  a  large  brush,  serving  only  to  col- 
or those  parts  of  the  mortar  visible  between  the  seams 
of  the  pieces  of  Marble  forming  the  last  coating;  this 
gives  to  these  mortars  the  color  of  the  Marbles  which 
are  encrusted  with  them. 

In  a  few  days,  the  colors  being  well  dried,  the  whole 
apartment  is  again  cleansed  with  the  bran  and  a 
woolen  cushion.  This  final  operation  produces  an 
apartment  wholly  paved  with  perfectly  polished  Mar- 
ble, and  resembling  a  most  beautiful  mosaic. 

SUBSEQUENT  OPERATION   NECESSARY  TO  PRE- 
SERVE AND  PERFECT  THE  PAVEMENT. 

^  158.  The  entire  mass  having  acquired  a  perfect 
dryness  and  solidity,  which  takes  place  in  three 
months,  another  mortar  of  fine  white  Marble  is  pre- 


OPERATION  TO  PRESERVE  THE  PAVEMENT.  187 

pared,  with  which  the  whole  pavement  is  again  cov- 
ered. This  mortar  should  not  be  too  thick.  It  is 
spread  with  a  steel  trowel,  and  the  cavities  are  filled  up 
which  have  formed  during  the  drying  of  the  pave- 
ment. The  superfluous  mortar  is  then  removed,  and, 
after  the  whole  is  well  dried,  linseed  oil  is  passed  over 
the  whole  by  means  of  woolen  cushions,  which  produces 
a  fine  gloss,  and  increases  the  perfection  of  the  work; 
this  operation  should  be  repeated  every  year. 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS'  MANUAL  188 


CHAPTER  THIRD. 

LESS  COSTLY   VENITIAN  PAVEMENTS. 

FIRST  METHOD. 

§  159.  We  offer  the  following  less  costly  method 
of  constructing  pavements,  to  those  who  do  not  wish 
to  incur  the  expense  of  those  executed  in  Marble. 

The  floor  of  the  apartment  is  first  prepared  with 
the  first,  second,  and  third  coatings,  as  has  been  de- 
scribed. Then,  instead  of  spreading  upon  the  red 
coating,  which  is  the  third,  the  coating  of  white  mor- 
tar ;  after  having  provided  small  round  and  flat  peb- 
bles, or  any  other  kinds  of  broken  stones  that  may  be 
wished,  they  are  spread  at  hazard  over  the  whole  sur- 
face of  the  red  coating,  taking  care  that  they  may  be 
near  enough  each  other. 

They  are  then  rolled  with  the  stone  cylinder  in  the 
same  manner  as  the  Marble  pavements,  until  the  stones 
are  forced  down  into  the  red  coating  so  as  not  to  ap- 
pear on  the  surface. 

When,  after  a  few  hours,  the  work  commences  to 


LESS  EXPENSIVE  METHOD./  .  189       ' ' 

dry,  the  lines  are  drawn,  necessary  to  eri^r^e^the  de-   '  /  ^ 
sign  which  is  to  be  given  to  the  following  C5^iilg:>3^^p^  ^  ^ 
This  upper  coating,  which  is  laid  on  accord'rng'^0''*p«"=^ 
the  design,  is  the  same  as  that  designated  in  the  se- 
cond chapter,  under  the  name  of  the  mortar  of  white 
Marble^  and  consists  of  Marble,  pounded  and  re- 
duced to  sand  and  mixed  with  lime ;  but  with  the  dif- 
ference that  this  mass  is  not  white  like  the  first,  but 
of  the  different  colors  which  have  been  delineated  on 
the  design. 

These  colored  mortars  are  composed  like  the  white 
mortars,  of  green,  yellow,  red  and  other  marbles, 
reduced  to  a  kind  of  coarse  sand,  and  afterwards  mix- 
ed with  lime.  They  are  spread  with  the  steel  trowel 
over  the  different  divisions  of  the  design,  according 
to  the  colors  to  be  given  them ;  this  coating  is  then 
pounded  with  the  iron  rammer  and  leveled  with  the 
trowel.  This  coating  of  colored  mortar  should  be 
from  an  inch  to  an  inch  and  a  half  in  thickness. 

When  the  floor  begins  to  dry,  a  coating  of  its  re- 
spective color  is  spread  over  each  division  of  the  de- 
sign, after  which  it  is  cleansed  and  polished  with  a 
woolen  cushion.  At  the  end  of  a  few  months,  the 
floor  is  again  covered  with  colored  mortars,  thinner 
than  the  first ;  these  are  spread  and  carefully  smooth- 
ed, after  which  linseed  oil  is  passed  over  it,  and  it  is 
polished  with  bran. 


190  THE  MARBLE  WORKERS  MANUAL. 


SECOND  METHOD. 

^  160.  In  hotels,  restaurants,  warehouses,  galleries, 
cellars,  and  all  other  places  in  which  a  dry  and  solid 
floor  without  ornament  is  required,  the  fourth  coating 
of  colored  Marble  is  useless ;  it  is  sufficient  to  force 
down  repeatedly  the  gravel  or  stone  which  has  been 
used  with  the  stone  cylinder,  afterwards  consolidating 
and  leveling  it  with  the  iron  rammer. 

THIRD  METHOD. 

^161.  Ordinary  pavements  can  also  be  made  by 
taking  common  stones  and  pounding  and  reducing 
them  to  coarse  sand,  which  is  then  mixed  with  lime 
and  old  plaster  stuff.  When  this  mass  is  well  mixed, 
and  has  acquired  the  consistency  of  a  thick  mortar,  it 
is  spread  upon  the  third  or  red  coating ;  this  layer 
should  be  from  an  inch  and  a  half  to  two  inches  in 
thickness.  It  is  then  smoothed  and  leveled  with  the 
cylinder,  and  pounded  with  the  iron  rammer.  A  stony 
mass  is  thus  formed,  which  is  solid  and  impenetrable, 
and  is  not  impaired  by  time  or  temperature. 

This  pavement  may  be  used  in  the  open  air,  and 
upon  frame-work  as  well  as  terraces,  as  it  is  perfectly 
impervious  to  water. 

In  this  complicated  work,  everything  depends  upon 
the  manner  in  which  the  described  operations  are  exe- 
cuted.   They  have  already  been  sufficiently  tested, 


THIRD  METHOD. 


191 


and,  if  the  work  does  not  succeed,  it  should  be  attri- 
buted to  unskillfulness,  and  not  to  the  defect  of  the 
process.  We  see  daily,  bitumen  terraces,  which  are 
perfectly  solid,  and  others  which  are  imperfect ;  nev- 
ertheless, this  rule  is  as  old  as  civilization,  and  we  owe 
to  it  the  works  which  centuries  have  not  been  able  to 
destroy.  But  to  this  rule,  another  should  succeed, 
namely  : — that  work  which  is  well  done  should  be  well 
paid  for. 


Jiftl)  ^axt 


MANUFACTURE  OF  TOY  MARBLES, 

WAX    VARNISH,    MOSAIC    BY    ABSORPTION    OF  COLORS, 
ARTIFICIAL  MOSAICS,  LETTERS  FOR  INSCRIPTIONS, 
PAINTINGS  FIGURES  IN  RELIEF. 

This  part  of  our  Manual  is  rather  a  complement  of 
details  affecting  Marble  working  than  a  branch  of  the 
art  of  the  Marble  worker,  yet  we  have  thought  it  ad- 
visable to  give  it  place,  lest  the  public  should  deem 
our  work  incomplete.  It  treats  of  the  manufacture 
of  toy  marbles,  of  mosaics  by  absorption  of  colors,  of 
artificial  mosaics,  of  letters  for  inscriptions,  of  paint- 
ings upon  Marble,  of  figures  in  relief,  and  of  the  color- 
ing of  Marbles.  All  of  these  details  possess  a  certain 
interest,  if  not  for  Marble  workers,  for  professional 
builders,  and  for  amateurs  who  like  to  inform  them- 
selves concerning  certain  processes,  by  which  results 
are  obtained  which  seem  to  present  many  more  diffi. 
culties  than  they  really  possess.  We  will  begin  with 
accounts  relating  to  the  manufacture  of  toy  marbles. 


MANUFACTURE  OF  TOY  MARBLES. 


193 


SECTION  FIRST. 

MANUFACTURE  OF  TOY  MARBLES. 

^  162.  Every  manufacture  which  supplies  the  wants' 
of  numerous  purchasers  is  always  sure  of  finding  a 
rapid  sale,  and,  if  the  manufactured  article  is  apt  to 
be  broken  or  lost,  it  is  evident  that  this  sale  will  be 
greatly  increased.  This  is  true  respecting  the  manu- 
facture of  toy  marbles.  It  does  not  properly  belong 
to  the  special  province  of  the  Marble  worker,  but  it  is 
one  of  the  products  of  the  art  of  Marble  working,  and 
is  therefore  entitled  to  a  place  in  this  little  treatise 
upon  the  use  and  manufacture  of  articles  in  Marble. 
We  give  the  following  extract  from  a  statement  made 
by  a  manufacturer  of  Strasbourg. 

The  first  operation  consists  in  breaking  the  calca- 
reous mineral  into  Bmall  pieces,  proportioned  to  the 
size  of  the  marbles  which  are  to  be  made.  This  may 
be  done  in  the  quarry,  by  means  of  mallets  resembling 
those  used  by  road  laborers.  These  pieces  are  then 
sorted  and  matched  in  equal  sizes. 

The  second  operation  Consists  in  removing  the 
roughest  asperities  of  the  pi:epared  pieces,  thus  begin- 
ning to  give  them  a  round  form.  During  the  time  in 
which  the  apparatus  for  rounding  prepares  one  hun- 
dred pounds,  the  apparatus  for  rough-hewing  furnishes 


194 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS^  MaNUaL. 


one  thousand,  and  the  millstone  for  scraping,  two 
thousand  pounds. 

^  168.  The  operation  of  scraping  is  performed  by 
a  millstone,  set  in  motion  by  some  moving  power;  its 
arrangement  does  not  differ  much  from  those  com- 
monly used  in  flour  mills. 

The  upper  or  moving  millstone  is  commonly  of 
about  one-third  less  weight  than  that  of  ordinary 
millstones,  in  order  that  the  pressure  may  not  act  too 
violently  upon  the  asperities  of  the  Marble,  and  that 
this  millstone  may  present  greater  facilities  for  being 
raised  or  lowered  at  pleasure.  For  this  purpose,  the 
vertical  shaft  of  the  millstone  should  turn  in  a  brass 
socket. 

^  164.  The  most  convenient  dimensions  of  the 
millstones  are  the  following : 

The  stationary  millstone  should  be  of  twenty-five 
inches  in  diameter,  and  from  eight  to  ten  inches  in 
thickness. 

The  turning  millstone,  which  moves  with  great  ve- 
locity, requires  nearly  or  quite  the  power  of  two  men 
for  ordinary  work. 

The  drum  of  the  millstones  is  formed  by  a  wooden 
hoop,  four  and  one-third  inches  in  width,  and  placed 
on  a  level  with  the  upper  edge  of  the  stationary  mill- 
stone which  it  includes  in  its  circumference  :  this  hoop 
is  itself  surrounded  with  a  rim  of  six  and  a  half 
inches  in  height,  and  is  designed  to  keep  back  the  cal* 


MANUFACTURE  OF  TOY  MARBLES. 


195 


careous  matter  wliich  the  movement  of  the  millstone 
may  throw  towards  the  edges. 

^  165.  The  third  operation  (rough-hewing),  con- 
sists in  commencing  to  round  the  calcareous  matters 
by  means  of  friction  against  each  other,  and  also 
against  the  cylinders  of  hard  stone :  this  is  done  by 
an  apparatus  which  is  composed  of  a  hollow  cylinder 
of  hard  stone  of  3-28  inches  in  length,  and  21-65 
inches  in  diameter  ;  the  rim  of  the  cylinder  should  be 
3-14  inches  in  thickness. 

Another  cylinder  of  hard  stone  of  35-43  inches  in 
length  and  6-61  in  diameter,  having  a  groove  in  the 
middle  to  admit  an  iron  shaft  of  2-16  square  inches, 
also  aids  in  this  operation. 

The  brass  trays  forming  the  cylinder  are  each  fur- 
nished with  a  hinge,  and  have  a  flange  extending  into 
the  inside  of  the  cylinder  ;  these  trays  are  attached  to 
the  cylinder  by  two  pins  and  by  wooden  wedges. 

The  calcareous  materials  are  introduced  into  the 
cylinder  through  the  openings,  and  the  cylinder  is 
moved  by  a  pulley. 

^  166.  To  obtain  the  greatest  effect  the  quantity 
of  calcareous  matter  introduced  into  the  cylinder 
should  not  exceed  two-thirds  of  the  space  between  the 
cylinders. 

The  proper  degree  of  velocity  is  from  forty  to  forty- 
five  turns  per  minute,  a  greater  velocity  than  this  pro- 
duces the  effect  of  a  fly  wheel,  which  makes  the  sub- 
stances immoveable,  thus  depriving  them  of  friction. 


196 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS'  MANUAL. 


The  calcareous  dust  should  be  thrown  out  from 
time  to  time,  as  this  diminishes  the  action  of  the  fric- 
tion if  it  accumulates  in  the  cylinder. 

§  167.  The  fourth  operation  consists  in  complete- 
ly rounding  the  calcareous  materials  by  the  use  of 
another  apparatus,  composed  of  a  wooden  cylinder  or 
cask  with  a  double  bottom  of  65  inches  in  length  and 
52  in  diameter. 

Also,  a  cylinder  of  hard  stone,  or  several  cylinders 
of  a  total  length  of  49-21  inches  and  a  diameter  of 
6-49,  with  a  groove  of  2-16  inches  in  the  middle  to 
admit  an  iron  shaft. 

The  staves  of  the  interior  compartment  are  held 
back  to  the  trays  by  a  grooving,  and  those  of  the  outer 
compartment  are  confined  with  pins. 

The  calcareous  matters  are  passed  through  the 
openings  into  the  first  and  second  compartment  of  the 
tray,  the  velocity  of  which  should  equal  from  forty  to 
forty-five  turns  per  minute. 

^  168.  The  following  process  is  emplo3^ed  in  pro- 
portion to  the  degree  of  dead  polish  wished,  and  ac- 
cording to  the  facility  of  rounding  the  materials  ;  this, 
however,  is  sufficient  only  for  common  marbles. 

The  rounding  is  obtained  solely  by  friction;  all  the 
dust  arising  from  the  calcareous  matter  is  then  ex- 
tracted from  the  cask,  and  a  small  quantity  of  emery 
in  pieces  of  the  size  of  a  bean  is  mixed  with  it ;  this 
quickly  completes  the  rounding  and  gives  the  desired 
polish.  I 


MANUFACTURE  OF  TOY  MARBLES.  197 


After  the  manufactured  Marbles  are  taken  from  the 
apparatus,  the  remainder  of  the  emery  may  be  ex- 
tracted by  the  sifting  of  the  dust,  for  a  second  use. 

About  two-thirds  of  the  Marbles  have  a  dead  polish, 
which  is  attained  by  the  use  of  these  first  four  pro- 
cesses ;  the  remaining  third,  which  are  of  white  or 
colored  Marbles,  have  a  shining  polish,  obtained  by 
an  additional  process. 

^  169.  This  shining  polish  is  obtained  by  the  pro- 
cess of  the  friction  of  the  calcareous  matters,  and  by 
the  use  of  the  second  apparatus,  arranged  in  the  fol- 
lowing manner  : 

The  stone  cylinder  is  rejected.  In  its  place,  a 
wooden  cylinder  covered  with  zinc,  with  its  compart- 
ments also  lined  with  zinc,  is  used. 

After  having  obtained  the  perfect  roundness  and 
the  dead  polish  described  in  the  fourth  operation,  the 
Marbles  are  placed  again  in  an  apparatus  not  lined 
with  zinc,  a  small  quantity  of  emery  is  introduced,  and 
about  two  hundred  turns  are  given  it. 

The  globes  are  then  taken  from  this  apparatus,  and 
placed  again  in  that  lined  with  zinc.  If  they  are  of 
white  Marble,  a  small  quantity  of  emery  dust  is  mixed 
with  them  to  complete  the  polishing. 

^  170.  If  the  globes  to  be  polished  are  of  other 
Marble,  or  of  shaded,  calcareous  stone,  a  small  quan- 
tity of  the  powder  of  calcined  tin  is  introduced  into 
the  apparatus.    A  part  of  the  common  Marbles  with 


198 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS'  MANUAL. 


a  dead  polish,  also  consists  of  colored  globes,  which 
take  a  shining  polish  by  coloring. 

^171.  This  sixth  process  is  executed  thus  : 

When  the  fourth  operation  is  finished,  the  globes 
are  placed  in  the  apparatus  lined  with  zinc,  and  the 
preparations  for  coloring  are  poured  upon  them — not 
all  at  once,  but  from  time  to  time  in  small  quantities, 
and  after  having  turned  the  apparatus  several  times. 

When  the  coloring  preparations  have  adhered  to  the 
globes,  they  are  finished  by  giving  them  a  final  pol- 
ish, which  is  quickly  obtained  by  introducing  a  small 
quantity  of  the  dust  of  calcined  tin  into  the  apparatus. 

Despite  the  difficulty  of  coloring  compact,  calcare- 
ous substances  durably,  without  heating  them,  this 
coloring  may  be  executed  both  cold  and  dry,  by  the 
use  of  the  following  preparations  : 

For  red,  take  dragons'  blood  in  drops,  reduce  this 
gum  to  powder,  and  grind  it  in  a  glass  mortar  with 
spirits  of  wine  or  a  urinous  lixivium 

For  the  manufacture  of  common  globes,  the  dragons' 
blood  may  be  used  alone  without  any  preparation. 

For  vermilion,  dissolve  a  quantity  of  vermilion  in 
urine  and  quick-lime, 

For  brown,  take  pitch  mixed  with  turpentine. 

For  yellow,  use  the  gum  of  gamboge,  reduced  to 
powder,  and  ground  with  spirits  of  wine  in  a  glass 
mortar. 

For  yellow,  the  extract  of  saffron,  dissolved  in  urine 
and  quick-lime,  may  also  be  used. 


MANUFACTURE  OF  TOY  MARBLES. 


199 


For  golden  yellow,  take  equal  quantities  of  crude 
salts  of  ammonia,  white  vitriol,  and  verdigris;  grind 
them  together,  and  when  they  are  reduced  to  a  fine 
powder,  dissolve  them  in  spirits  of  wine  or  a  urinous 
lixivium. 

For  green,  use  green  wax  dissolved  in  a  urinous 
lixivium. 

^  172.  Although  these  processes  have  been  found 
very  successful,  the  following  improvements  have  late- 
ly been  effected : 

The  pieces  are  roughly  rounded  by  groovings  made 
in  the  turning  millstoue.  A  wooden  tray  descends 
until  the  calcareous  pieces  just  rest  in  the  groovings 
with  which  its  under  surface  is  furnished,  and  which 
correspond  exactly  with  the  groovings  of  the  upper 
surface  of  the  turning  millstone. 

The  depth  of  the  groovings  in  the  turning  millstone 
forms  half  the  diameter  of  the  globes  which  are  to  be 
made;  that  of  the  groovings  in  the  wooden  tray  form- 
ing the  other  half. 

The  wooden  tray  is  penetrated  by  a  vertical  shaft, 
passing  through  an  aperture  arranged  in  the  middle 
in  such  a  manner  that  the  shaft  can  turn  without 
touching  the  tray.  This  tray  can  be  raised  or  lowered 
at  will,  by  a  small  gear  adjusted  to  a  little  shaft, 
which  raises  the  tray  by  means  of  two  leathern  straps 
rolling  round  this  shaft. 

The  wooden  tray  is  prevented  from  turning  by 
means  of  brass  sockets  fixed  by  screws  upon  the  upper 


200 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS'  MANUAL. 


part  of  the  tray  ;  these  sockets  slide  in  grooves  ar- 
ranged in  the  uprights  of  the  framework. 

A  stream  of  water  is  constantly  poured  on  the  cal- 
careous matter  through  the  aperture  which  is  arranged 
in  the  tray. 

In  proportion  as  the  rounding  process  advances,  the 
volume  of  the  material  diminishes,  and  the  wooden 
tray  descends,  constantly  touching,  though  lightly,  the 
calcareous  matters,  which  thus  obtain  a  round  form 
more  speedily. 

When  the  globes  are  well  rounded,  they  are  again 
placed  between  two  millstones,  arranged  in  the  same 
manner  as  those  for  rounding  with  the  exception  that 
the  stone  tray  is  replaced  by  a  wooden  one ;  the  globes 
thus  turn  between  two  wooden  trays  until  the  polish 
is  obtained.  This  process  seems  to  merit  the  prefer- 
ence. 

^  173.  To  color  the  Marbles  which  are  of  a  light 
and  single  shade,  the  following  method  is  adopted  : 

The  colors  generally  used  are  blue,  red,  and  green ; 
these  mineral  colors  are  reduced  to  a  fine  powder. — 
The  globes  are  placed  in  the  millstone  used  in  polish- 
ing, upon  which  a  few  pinches  of  the  color  are  thrown, 
several  turns  are  then  given  to  the  millstone ;  after 
w^iich,  the  color  being  thus  evenly  spread  over  the 
surface  of  the  globes,  a  few  pinches  of  sulphur,  finely 
crushed  and  sifted,  are  thrown  upon  them  ;  the  mill- 
stone is  then  turned  more  rapidly,  and,  as  the  globes 
become  heated,  the  sulphur  burns  the  color,  and  thus 


VARIOUS  RECIPES. 


201 


gives  to  the  globes  a  finer  lustre.  In  the  manufacture 
of  Marbles  of  serpentine,  or  other  hard  material,  a 
grindstone  with  groovings  is  substituted  for  the  mill- 
stone of  which  we  have  just  spoken,  or,  which  is  bet- 
ter, one  in  brass,  also  grooved.  For  this,  much  more 
water  is  necessary,  but  the  same  result  is  obtained  as 
in  the  ordinary  Marbles. 


SECTION  SECOND. 
VARIOUS  RECIPES. 

RECirE  OF  A  WAX  VARNISH  FOR  THE  PRESERVATION 
OF  STATUES  AND  MARBLES  EXPOSED  TO  THE  ACTION 
OF  THE  AIR. 

^  1 74.  This  varnish  is  obtained  by  melting  two  parts 
of  wax,  in  eight  parts  of  very  pure  essence  of  turpentine. 

When  the  statues  are  removed  from  the  atelier  of 
the  sculptor,  this  varnish  should  be  carefully  applied, 
heating  it  and  spreading  it  so  that  it  may  not  be  of 
sufficient  thickness  to  destroy  the  harmony  of  the 
figures. 

This  varnish  may  be  used  upon  statues  which  have 
been  cleansed  with  water  dashed  with  hydrochloric 
acid,  but  they  must  be  perfectly  dry  when  the  applica- 
tion is  made. 


202  THE  MARBLE  WORKERS^  MANUAL. 


A  similar  operation  upon  busts,  statues,  vases,  cups, 
or  any  other  ornaments  in  plaster,  will  preserve  them 
from  injury. 


SECTION  THIRD. 

MOSAIC    UPON    MARBLE   BY   ABSORPTION  OF 
COLORS. 

^  175.  It  is  diiSicult  to  resolve  the  problem  of  the 
effect  of  the  absorption  of  colors,  both  in  respect  to 
their  lustre  and  durability,  and  also  of  the  use  which 
should  be  made  of  them.  Many  of  the  secrets  of  the 
ancients,  when  discovered,  benefit  us  but  little  at  the 
present  time,  since  our  tastes  differ  widely  from  theirs, 
as  well  as  our  fortunes,  and  the  style  of  our  houses. 

Few  of  our  buildings  are  rich  enough  to  warrant 
the  decoration  of  their  pavements  with  the  veritable 
mosaics  ;  the  painted  mosaic  seems  hardly  suitable  to 
fill  its  place,  yet  this  decoration  may  be  employed  in 
objects  of  less  importance  ;  and  what  we  have  already 
said  in  respect  to  the  utility  of  paintings  upon  Marble, 
may  be  also  applicable  to  the  mosaics  of  which  we  are 
speaking,  and  which  are,  in  truth,  but  a  species  of 
painting. 

The  art  of  making  mosaics  in  Marble  by  the  absorp- 
tion of  colors,  was  first  discovered  in  Italy. 


MOSAIC  BY  ABSORPtIOx^^  OF  COLOHS.  i^03 

This  process  has  been  experimented  npon  by  two 
English  chemists  who  have  obtained  the  following  re* 
suits  : 

1.  The  solution  of  nitrate  of  silver  penetrates  the 
Marble  deeply,  communicating  to  it  a  deep  red  color. 

2.  The  solution  of  nitro  muriate  of  gold  does  not 
penetrate  it  as  deeply,  but  produces  a  very  fine  violet 
color. 

3.  The  solution  of  verdigris  penetrates  the  Marble 
the  twelfth  of  an  inch,  giving  to  the  surface  a  fine 
light  green  color. 

4.  The  solutions  of  gum  dragon  and  of  gamboge 
also  penetrate  it ;  the  first  producing  a  fine  red,  and 
the  second  a  yellow  color. 

To  cause  these  two  substances  to  deeply  penetrate 
it,  the  Marble  should  be  first  well  polished  with  pum- 
ice stone,  after  which  the  substances  should  be  dis- 
solved in  warm  alcohol,  and  applied  with  a  small 
brush. 

All  the  dyes  of  wood,  those  of  Brazil,  Campeachy, 
etc.,  made  with  alcohol,  penetrate  the  Marble  deeply. 

5.  The  tincture  of  cochineal,  prepared  in  this  man- 
ner  with  the  addition  of  a  little  alum,  gives  a  fine 
scarlet  color  to  the  Marble,  penetrating  it  one-fifth  of 
an  inch.    This  Marble  resembles  the  African  closely* 

6.  The  artificial  orpiment,  dissolved  in  ammonia 
and  laid  on  the  Marble  with  a  brush,  produces  a  yel- 
low color  in  a  few  moments,  which  becomes  more  bril- 
liant when  exposed  to  the  air. 


204 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS'  MANUAL. 


7.  To  all  the  other  substances  eLiiployed  in  this  usej 
we  should  add  white  wax  mixed  with  coloring  matters  ; 
this  when  placed  on  the  marble,  in  a  melted  state, 
soon  penetrates  it. 

8.  If  the  verdigris  is  boiled  in  the  wax  and  then 
laid  melted  upon  the  marble  with  an  instrument,  it 
will  be  seen  on  its  removal  when  cold,  that  the  design 
has  penetrated  the  surface  to  the  depth  of  from  one- 
third  to  half  an  inch ;  the  color  is  a  very  pure  green, 
resembling  that  of  the  emerald. 

^  176.  To  facilitate  this  work,  we  shall  enter  into 
a  few  details  respecting  it.  Thus,  when  several  colors 
are  to  be  successively  used  without  blending  them  and 
destroying  the  clearness  of  the  design,  it  is  necessary 
to  proceed  in  the  following  manner. 

9.  The  dyes  obtained  by  spirits  of  wine  and  the  oil 
of  turpentine  should  be  laid  on  the  marble  when  it  is 
heated,  particularly  in  the  execution  of  delicate  de- 
signs, but  the  dragons'  blood  and  gamboge  may  be 
used  on  the  marble  when  cold.  For  this  they  must  be 
dissolved  in  alcohol,  and  the  gamboge  used  first ;  the 
solution  of  this  gum  is  quite  clear,  but  soon  becomes 
troubled  and  gives  a  yellow  precipitate,  which  is  used 
to  obtain  a  brighter  color.  The  lines  drawn  by  this 
solution  are  then  heated  by  passing  a  plate  of  iron  or 
a  chafing  dish  filled  w  th  lighted  charcoal,  over  the 
surface  of  the  marble,  at  the  distance  of  half  or  two- 
thirds  of  an  inch  from  it.  It  is  then  left  to  cool,  after 
which  the  lines  which  have  not  been  penetrated  by  the 


IMITATIONS  OF  MOSAICS. 


205 


color  are  heated  in  the  same  manner.  When  the  yel- 
low coloring  has  been  applied,  the  solution  of  dragons' 
blood,  which  should  be  concentrated  as  much  as  pos- 
sible, is  employed  in  the  same  manner  as  that  of  the 
gamboge;  and  while  the  Marble  is  warm,  the  other 
vegetable  tints  which  do  not  require  so  strong  a  de- 
gree of  heat  in  order  to  penetrate  the  Marble,  may 
also  be  applied.  The  design  is  finally  completed  by 
the  colors  mixed  with  wax,  which  should  be  applied 
with  the  utmost  care,  as  the  slightest  excess  of  the 
proper  degree  of  heat  will  cause  them  to  spread,  for 
which  reason  they  are  less  suited  to  delicate  designs, 

IMITATIONS  OF  MOSAfCS. 

^  177.  If  the  new  mosaics  are  not  admired,  the 
imitations  can  scarcely  be  expected  to  meet  with  more 
favor. 

However,  they  are  sometimes  demanded  of  Marble 
workers,  and,  when  the  price  of  the  genuine  mosaics 
is  objected  to,  they  endeavor  to  make  the  imitations 
in  the  best  possible  manner ;  if  one  can  give  the  name 
of  mosaic  to  those  medleys  of  indiscriminate  colors 
which  have  been  attempted  in  some  buildings ;  L'' Ho- 
tel des  Finances.  Biie  de  RivoH,  for  instance. 

The  desire  for  the  production  of  novelties  has  given 
rise  to  several  processes,  which  are  announced  as  inven 
tions,  but  which  are  often  only  the  reproduction  of 
abortive  attempid,  ur  abandoned  methods. 


206 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS^  MANUAL. 


We  do  not  say  that  the  process  of  M.  Dubreuil 
{should  be  classed  among  these,  but  we  give  it  as  pub- 
lished by  the  governmentj  without  guaranteeing  it. — 
His  design  is,  to  make  imitations  of  mosaics,  by  the 
incorporation  of  colors  in  all  kinds  of  calcareous 
stones,  or  gypseous  matter,  either  smooth  or  sculp- 
tured. He  gives  the  following  method  of  proceed- 
ure  : 

Select  calcareous  or  other  stones  ;  those  which  are 
fine  grained  and  white,  are  best  suited  to  mosaics, 
arrange  these  and  smooth  them  as  much  as  possible. 
These  stones  should  be  perfectly  dry  before  the  execu- 
tion of  the  proposed  designs. 

The  penetrating  colors  suited  to  dyeing,  as  well  as 
inks  (without  gum,)  are  preferable ;  the  artist  should 
study  these  in  order  to  prepare  the  tones  best  suited 
to  this  work.  For  this  purpose,  he  can  make  trials 
upon  pieces,  to  obtain  the  effects  of  the  Marble  which 
he  wishes  to  produce,  as  well  as  the  purity  of  the 
touch. 

After  the  tracing  of  the  design,  you  put  in  the  col- 
ors which  you  deem  suitable  with  a  brush,  leave  them 
to  dry,  and  then  pour  vitriol  diluted  with  water,  over 
the  work. 

With  pumice  and  the  same  water,  you  then  carefully 
smooth  and  unite  the  pieces,  taking  care  to  remove 
the  mud  which  is  formed. 

The  whole  being  washed  and  wiped  by  means  of  a 
soft  stone  and  the  same  water,  you  polish  and  dry  it 


IMITATIONS  OF  MOSAICS. 


207 


a  second  time,  and,  in  order  to  give  it  more  vigor,  you 
pass  oil  liglitly  over  the  colors  with  a  brush,  after 
which  you  again  leave  it  to  dry.  You  then  obtain  a 
fine  polish  by  rubbing  it  with  a  dry  linen  cloth,  which 
completes  the  operation. 

To  execute  mosaic  and  other  paintings  upon  gypse- 
ous stones  and  alabaster,  after  having  selected  the  lay- 
er, coating,  or  block,  which  you  deem  suitable,  you 
arrange  your  stone  according  to  the  demand,  sculp- 
tured, or  with  a  plane  surface. 

You  then  expose  it  to  a  heat  sufficiently  intense  to 
calcine  to  the  state  of  plaster,  all  the  surfaces  which 
you  wish  to  paint  and  harden,  to  the  depth  of  one-fifth 
or  sixth  of  an  inch ;  you  then  cool  it,  and  pass  a  file 
or  sand  paper  lightly  over  the  surface,  to  cleanse  any 
parts  which  may  have  been  soiled  by  fire. 

You  then  trace  the  design,  and  put  in,  with  the 
brush,  the  colors  which  have  already  been  described, 
taking  care  to  use  a  sufficient  quantity  to  enable  them 
to  penetrate  deeply  enough. 

The  small  pieces,  which  do  not  crack  like  the  larger 
ones  in  hardening,  may  be  entirely  calcined. 

Your  design  being  executed,  you  pour  alum  water 
over  the  whole  work,  steeping  the  stone  in  it  until  it 
rejects  it. 

When  you  judge  it  to  be  entirely  hardened,  you 
wash  the  piece  well  in  order  to  remove  the  refuse  of 
the  color  remaining  on  the  surface,  and  finish  this 
stone  in  the  same  manner  as  the  preceding  ones,  with 


208  THE  MARBLE  WORKERS'  MANUAL. 


the  sole  difFereuce  of  using  alum,  in  preference  to  the 
vitriolic  acids. 

You  can  give  any  forms  you  choose  to  the  stones, 
whether  in  plane  surfaces,  or  in  reliefs,  statues,  vases, 
tables,  chimney-pieces,  and  other  articles. 

^  178.  To  obtain  from  gypseous  materials,  molded 
articles  resembling  Marble,  after  having  first  calcined 
the  gypsum,  reduce  it  to  a  very  fine  powder.  The 
molding  is  executed  in  the  following  manner  : 

Take  a  mold  of  great  solidity,  and  place  the  gyp- 
sum in  it  in  thin  layers,  taking  care  to  compress  each 
layer  in  order  to  strengthen  it. 

The  desired  thickness  being  obtained,  place  several 
folds  of  linen  or  cloth  upon  it,  moistened  with  com- 
mon water,  or  with  a  solution  of  alum,  which  is  pre- 
ferable ;  and  submit  the  mold  in  this  state,  to  a  strong, 
quick  pressure,  which  instantly  causes  the  moisture 
to  penetrate  to  the  bottom  of  the  mold  through  the 
gypseous  powder,  thus  giving  it  the  proper  consist- 
ency. The  article  is  then  taken  from  the  mold  and 
left  to  dry,  after  which  it  is  set  up  and  polished.  If 
common  water  is  used  in  the  operation,  the  surface  of 
the  piere  must  be  washed  with  a  solution  of  alum  when 
taken  from  the  mold. 

^179.  In  order  to  obtain  the  accidental  shades 
which  the  different  kinds  of  Marble  naturally  present, 
coloring  matters  (the  mineral  ones  are  better,)  should 
be  mixed  with  the  gypseous  powder.  This  mixture, 
thrown  at  hazard  into  the  material  which  is  to  fill  the 


IMITATIONS  OF  MOSAICS. 


209 


mold,  produces,  by  employing  the  methods  before  de- 
scribed, solid  masses,  imitating  the  natural  Marbles. 

To  obtain  mosaics,  fill  up  the  mold  a  little  way  with 
pulverized  gypsum,  either  colored  or  white,  then  dex- 
terously remove  a  portion  of  this  coating,  which  has 
been  sunk  in  such  a  manner  as  to  leave  the  design  to 
be  produced  upon  the  bottom  of  the  mold,  and  is  thus 
hollowed  out;  fill  up  these  cavities  with  a  colored 
gypseous  powder,  sunk  in  proportion,  and  finally  fill 
the  mold  to  the  desired  thickness  with  the  gypseous 
powder,  always  compressing  the  layers,  and  proceeding 
as  before  described ;  a  mass  of  great  purity,  bearing 
upon  its  surface  the  design  in  mosaic,  is  thus  obtained. 

If  the  pieces  demand  a  greater  thickness,  fill  up  the 
mold  with  plaster  tempered  with  pure  water,  place 
this  upon  the  prepared  materials  when  it  begins  to 
set,  and  place  it  under  a  strong  pressure ;  this  produ- 
ces the  same  effect  as  the  linen,  and  gives  to  the  arti- 
cle the  desired  thickness  by  its  inseparable  adhesion 
to  it. 

When  taken  from  the  mold,  the  surface  of  the 
piece  should  be  moistened  with  alum  water.  This 
method  may  always  be  employed  when  colored  mate- 
rials are  to  be  worked. 

The  same  results  are  also  obtained  in  the  execution 
of  all  kinds  of  relief,  whether  alto  or  basso,  these  may 
also  serve,  if  necessary,  by  reason  of  their  hardness^ 
as  molds  for  works  of  art. 


210  ,  THE  MARBLE  WORKERS^  MANUAL. 

All  of  th^se  articles  are  polished  with  pumice  and 
poll  string  stone. 

Stuccos  and  other  moist  materials,  when  prepared, 
placed  in  a  mold  and  covered  over  with  dry,  powdered 
plaster,  and  subjected  to  these  operations,  also  acquire 
a  great  degree  of  hardness. 

ANOTHER   IMITATION   OF  MOSAIC. 

^180.  M.  Simon,  of  Strasbourg,  describes  a  simple 
method  of  giving  to  stone  the  appearance  of  Marble. 
Upon  a  stone  covered  with  thick  varnish,  he  says, 
trace  the  design  which  you  wish  to  obtain  in  mosaic; 
pour  acid  upon  the  stone  after  having  first  surrounded 
the  sketch  with  a  waxen  border,  the  lines  are  thus 
acted  upon,  and  a  greater  or  less  depth,  as  may  be 
wished,  obtained ;  then  wash  it  well  with  water,  and 
fill  the  hollow  lines  with  difi'erent  colored  stuccos, 
which  soon  harden ;  after  this,  polish  the  surface,  and 
you  have  the  designs  in  mosaic. 


SECTION  FOURTH. 

CLEANSING   OF  MARBLES. 

^181.  The  scraping  of  Marbles,  which  have  been 
blackened  or  turned  green  by  the  air  and  dampness, 
has  long  been  considered  inexpedient,  since,  whatever 


tSLEANSING  OF  MARb|eJ J\r  <^  -r         21  l^^'^'^ 

precautions  maybe  taken,  the  worK  .^hjfek  is  to  be  J 
restored  is  always  scratched  more  or  less,;S-n41 
impossible  to  practice  it  in  the  excavated  parts  with- 
out breaking  the  delicate  sculptures,  or  causing  sad 
incongruities  between  the  designs  in  relief  and  those 
which  are  sculptured.  It  is  therefore  very  desirable 
to  find  a  wash  that  may  be  substituted  for  this  de- 
structive process.  Several  persons  have  described 
powders  and  waters,  with  which  experiments  have 
been  made  at  the  Luxembourg  and  other  places,  but 
none  seem  to  be  satisfactory.  Alkalized  water,  pre- 
pared with  potash,  has  also  been  proposed,  as  well  as 
water  dashed  with  hydrochloric  acid. 

In  respect  to  soiled  articles,  which  have  not  been 
tarnished  by  exposure  to  the  open  air;  to  restore  their 
original  color,  it  is  sufficient  to  use  the  potash  water, 
then  to  wash  them  m  pure  water,  and  finally,  to  fioish 
them  with  the  chlorureted  water.  Soap  and  water  is 
often  sufficient  in  such  cases ;  it  is  spread  on  with  a 
brush,  and  introduced  into  the  sculptured  parts  by  a 
somewhat  stiff  pencil. 

I  have  heard  a  kind  of  varnish  made  of  white  wax 
highly  extolled  as  a  preservative;  this  is  laid  on  by 
means  of  heat,  and  is  afterwards  rubbed  with  a  cushion; 
it  is  said  that  this  varnish  was  used  by  the  ancients, 
and  that  the  preservation  of  their  chefs  ouvre  may 
be  attributed  to  this ;  but  proof  has  never  been  given 
of  the  efficacy  of  this  method,  which  seems,  like  the 
rest,  to  be  difficult  of  application. 


212  THE   MARBLE  WORKERS^  MANUAL. 

The  water  and  hydrochloric  acid  have  been  success- 
fully tried  in  the  Place  de  la  Concorde^  upon  the 
statues  and  stone  balustrades  which  ornament  it,  and 
the  architect  who  superintended  its  use,  considered  it 
the  most  economical  and  expedient  method  known. 
The  essential  point  in  this  operation  is,  to  always  use 
water  which  is  perfectly  clean,  and  in  an  abundant 
quantity.  Showering  by  a  garden  pump,  or  a  syringe 
with  several  holes^  appears  to  me  to  be  the  best  me- 
thod of  removing  the  chlorureted  water  from  all  the 
places  in  which  it  may  rest  despite  the  washing  with 
the  brush. 


SECTION  FIFTH. 
OF  POZZOLANA, 

§  182.  Pozzolana  may  be  classed  among  the  num- 
ber of  natural  cements  which  are  often  needed  by  the 
Marble-worker,  but  which  are  rarely  used  on  account 
of  the  difficulty  of  procuring  them.  This  is  a  natural 
cement,  formed  by  volcanic  scorias  and  lavas.  It  was 
much  used  by  the  Eomans  for  aqueducts,  reservoirs^ 
and  all  works  exposed  to  a  constant  moisture.  Poz- 
zolana, when  mixed  with  the  requisite  proportions  of 
good  lime,  sets  in  the  water^  and  forms  a  mortar  m 


PUMICE  STONE. 


213 


adhesive  and  compactly  united,  that  it  can  resist  the 
action  of  the  waves  without  suffering  the  least  change. 

There  are  several  varieties  of  pozzolana,  namely : 
First,  The  gravelly  and  compact,  and  the  basaltic  poz- 
zolana. The  compact  lava  and  basalt,  reduced  to 
small  splinters  or  gravelly  fragments,  either  by  nature 
or  by  pulverization  in  the  mills  used  by  the  Dutch  for 
crushing  a  softer  lava,  known  by  the  name  of  tras  or 
Andernach  stone,  also  furnishes  an  excellent  pozzo- 
lana, which  may  be  used  either  in  or  out  of  the  water. 

Second.  The  porous  pozzolana,  formed  by  spongy 
lavas,  which  are  crumbly,  and  reduced  to  powder  or 
small  irregular  grains.  This  is  the  common  pozzolana 
which  abounds  in  the  suburbs  of  Bayes,  Pozzuoli,  Na- 
ples, Rome,  and  in  many  parts  of  the  Yivarais,  etc.  The 
ferruginous  origin  of  these  lavas  having  passed  through 
different  modifications,  varieties  in  the  colors  of  these 
volcanic  earths  have  been  produced  ;  there  are  red, 
black,  reddish,  grey,  brown,  violet,  and  other  colors. 
All  of  these,  when  mixed  with  lime,  possess  the  pro- 
perty of  ac(juiring  a  great  solidity  in  water. 

PUMICE  STONE. 

§  183.  This  stone,  so  light,  porous,  and  useful  in 
almost  all  the  arts,  in  Marble  working  most  especially, 
is  used  for  polishing,  either  in  powder  or  in  fragments  ; 
it  removes  the  asperities,  and  prepares  the  material 
for  receiving  the  last  polish. 


214 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS'  MANUAL. 


M.  Daubenton  was  the  first  to  observe  and  remark 
that  the  pumice  stones  were  composed  of  particles  of 
an  almost  perfect  glass,  and  M.  Bolomieu  has  also 
made  many  reliable  observations  respecting  the  origin 
and  nature  of  this  volcanic  production  ;  he  has  ob- 
served in  his  Voyages,  that  the  island  of  Lipari  is  the 
immense  warehouse  which  furnishes  pumice  stones  to 
all  Europe,  and  that  several  mountains  on  this  island 
are  entirely  composed  of  it;  he  also  says  that  he  has 
found  isolated  fragments  in  a  white,  mealy  powder, 
which  was  itself  but  a  pulverable  pumice. 

The  substance  of  these  stones,  particularly  of  the 
lighter  ones,  is  in  a  state  of  frit^  closely  resembling  a 
perfect  glass ;  their  texture  is  fibrous,  their  grain 
rough  and  dry,  they  look  shining  and  silky,  and  are 
much  lighter  than  either  the  porous,  or  cellular  lavas.  • 
This  distinguished  traveler  points  out  four  species  of 
pumice,  which  difi'er  from  each  other  in  the  closeness 
of  the  grain,  the  weight,  the  texture,  and  the  arrange- 
ment of  the  pores. 

^'  The  pumice  stones,''  says  he,  ^'  appear  to  have 
flowed  in  the  same  manner  as  the  lavas,  forming  like 
them,  broad  currents,  which  have  been  discovered, 
lying  at  diiferent  depths  above  each  other,  around  the 

mountains  of  Lipari  The  heavier  pumice  stones 

occupy  the  lower  part  of  the  currents  or  masses,  the 
lighter  stones  being  above  them  ;  the  same  is  also  true 
of  the  lavas,  the  lighter  and  more  porous  always  oc- 
cupying the  upper  part," 


AFFERENT  DESIGNS— EXECUTION  OF  WORKS.  215 


SECTION  SIXTH. 

DIFFERENT  DESIGNS   AND  CONDITIONS  OF  THE 
EXECUTION  OF  WORKS. 

^  1 84.  The  execution  of  funereal  monuments,  either 
in  stone,  marble,  or  in  stone  mixed  with  ornaments  of 
marble,  is  one  of  the  branches  of  this  art  which  affords 
most  employment  to  Marble  workers.  By  visiting  the 
various  cemeteries,  an  idea  can  be  formed  of  the  diver- 
sity of  the  tastes,  and  of  the  intellectual  or  pecuniary 
abilities  of  those  who  erect  them.  One  likes  to  fancy 
on  seeing  the  expression  of  sorrow  happily  rendered, 
that  these  mourning  monuments  betoken  less  of  the 
pride  than  of  the  sorrow  of  the  survivors.  Tlie  artists 
are  strangers  to  the  inscriptions  which  they  engrave 
upon  the  marble.  These  being  dictated  by  relatives 
and  friends,  they  do  not  incur  the  responsibility  of 
them;  notwithstanding  they  have  the  right  to  give 
their  opinion,  and  it  would  be  rendering  an  important 
service  to  families  to  counsel  them  to  make  these  as 
simple  as  possible.  What  we  say  respecting  inscrip- 
tions will  also  apply  to  the  monuments  themselves 
When  they  are  large  and  costly,  they  are  often  under 
the  direction  of  an  architect,  and  in  this  case,  the 
Marble  worker  has  only  to  follow  the  design  that  is 
given  him. 


21G 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS^  MANUAL. 


When  the  family  address  themselves  exclusively  to 
the  Marble  worker,  he  makes  his  estimate,  and  when 
it  is  accepted,  contracts  tvith  the  mason  to  determine 
the  part  of  each  in  the  stipulated  price,  or  to  fix  the 
price  of  the  mason,  who  stands  in  the  same  relation  to 
the  Marble  worker  as  he,  in  the  preceding  hypothesis, 
stood  in  respect  to  the  architect. 

As  to  the  various  forms  of  funereal  monuments, 
although  their  general  forms  are  similar,  there  are 
^  many  shades  of  distinction  which  should  be  ob- 
served, in  respect  to  good  taste  and  social  propriety; 
thus,  the  tomb  of  a  woman  or  a  young  girl  should  not 
resemble  that  of  a  scholar,  a  warrior,  a  great  artist,  an 
orator,  or  a  man  of  letters.  There  should  always  te 
some  distinguishing  point,  though  the  form  may  be 
the  same. 

Let  us  take,  for  example,  a  simple  farm ;  this  may 
be  applicable  to  the  whole  world  if  no  inscription  is 
placed  upon  it.  The  grief  which  has  erected  it  will 
admit  no  one  in  its  confidence*  The  tomb  will  neither 
attract  admiration  or  criticism  from  any. 

But  if  there  is  an  inscription,  an  exterior  ornament 
should  harmonize  with  the  idea  it  expresses;  some- 
times, a  lily  cut  ofi*  near  its  bloom  will  mutely  tell  of 
a  young  girl ;  sometimes,  a  wreath  of  falling  roses  will 
speak  of  a  young  female ;  sometimes,  a  crown  of 
laurel  will  remind  us  of  the  modest  and  lamented 
warrior;  sometimes,  the  page  of  a  book,  the  image  of 
a  lyre,  indicate  an  author,  a  musician,  etc. 


DIFFERENT  DESIGNS— -EXECUTION  OF  WORKS,   2  IT 

When  the  monument  is  a  large  one,  the  ornaments 
are  of  a  higher  order;  these  demand  the  hand  of  the 
sculptor,  and  should  consist  of  emblems  suited  to  re- 
call the  memory  of  the  life  of  the  dead. 

There  are  some  tombs  which  only  suit  the  pride  of 
a  rich  heir.  They  have  a  sort  of  coquetry,  which 
would  be  ridiculous  on  the  tomb  of  an  old  man  or  a 
warrior. 

Others,  on  the  contrary,  by  their  magisterial  grav- 
ity, by  sculpture,  or  the  execution  of  palms,  a  crown, 
a  broken  sword,  or  some  other  ornament,  are  suited 
to  the  station  in  society  which  the  man  filled  during 
his  life. 

We  shall  limit  our  remarks  respecting  the  construc- 
tion of  costly  monuments,  as  the  direction  of  these 
works  does  not  properly  belong  to  Marble  workers 
but  to  architects.  All  monuments,  whether  small  or 
great,  are  generally  modified  copies  of  some  few  espe- 
cial styles,  and  these  modifications  may  be  infinitely 
reproduced  and  varied.  Besides  which,  the  beauty  of 
the  Marbles  creates  more  real  difi'erence  than  the  di- 
versity of  form. 

As  to  the  price  which  these  monuments  should 
command,  this  depends  entirely  upon  the  name  of 
the  artist,  the  materials,  and  the  style  of  the  work- 
manship, which  also  includes  the  ornaments,  w^hich 
often  require  more  time  than  the  work  itself. 

There  are  head-stones,  tombs,  monuments,  and 
family  sepulchres,  for  two  hundred  dollars ;  they  cau 


218 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS^  MANUAL. 


also  be  purchased  for  twenty  thousand ;  the  time 
necessary  for  their  execution  differs  as  widely  as  the 
price. 

The  best  method  of  not  deceiving  one's  self  or  being 
deceived  is,  to  demand  an  estimate,  arrange  a  plan, 
and  make  no  change  in  its  execution  without  inserting 
a  supplementary  article  in  the  contract. 

Besides,  the  Marble  workers  are  willing  to  contract 
at  the  most  reasonable  prices.  A  reasonable  profit 
belongs  to  them,  and  the  interest  of  the  purchaser,  as 
well  as  that  of  the  Marble  worker,  demands  that  they 
shall  have  this ;  as  to  do  his  work  well,  the  artist  should 
have  the  hope  of  being  compensated  for  his  labor. 


SECTION  SEVENTH. 

CHIMNEY-PIECE   IN  MALACHITE. 

^  185.  Although  works  executed  in  malachite  do 
not  properly  belong  to  the  art  of  the  Marble  worker, 
we  wish  to  speak  of  a  very  remarkable  work  of  this 
kind. 

This  is  a  chimney-piece  which  is  executed  in  what  is 
termed  the  style  of  Louis  Quatorze.,  and  is  truly 
admirable. 

It  is  five  feet  in  height,  and  more  than  six  and  a 


CHIMNEY-PIECE  IN  MALACHITE. 


219 


half  feet  in  width.  The  frame  supports  three  slopings 
at  the  base  of  a  spherical  cornice  in  the  coin  ;  this  cor- 
nice enters  by  the  shaft  and  rounds  towards  the  capital, 
and  is  terminated  by  a  chimera  supporting  the  upper 
cornice ;  these  chimeras,  as  well  as  the  fantastical 
figure  in  the  centre  of  the  mantel,  are  surrounded  with 
arabesques  and  garlands  in  ormolu.  Upon  each  side 
of  the  hearth,  a  Venus  is  half  reclining  upon  orna- 
ments, also  in  ormolu.  The  inside  of  the  chimney- 
piece  is  of  brass,  and  is  also  ornamented.  This  chim- 
ney-piece is  valued  at  $7,500  ;  this  demonstrates  suf- 
ficiently that  the  materials  and  ornaments  which  com- 
pose and  decorate  it  are  very  costly.  We  shall  now 
speak  further  of  the  malachite. 

The  malachite,  traces  of  which  are  found  in  copper 
mines,  is  a  mineral  of  irregular  formation,  which  is 
only  found  in  small  masses,  and  is  extremely  rare. — 
It  is  only  in  Siberia  that  this  carbonate  of  copper  is 
found  in  blocks  of  greater  or  less  size. 

Prince  Demidoff  possesses  estates  in  Siberia  upon 
which  large  blocks  have  been  found  within  a  few  years. 

The  extreme  density  of  malachite,  the  fioeness  of 
its  grain,  and  its  hardness,  render  it  susceptible  of  a 
very  fine  polish  ;  the  wavy  reflections  which  show  from 
the  ground,  with  the  shade  which  it  presents,  give 
it  a  sort  of  green  color,  full  of  lustre  and  harmony. 

It  is  very  difficult  to  work,  and  somewhat  re- 
sembles those  magnificent  mosaics  of  the  Vatican, 
which   represent  the  admirable  productions  of  Ra- 


220  THE  MARBLE  WORKERS'  MANUAL. 

phael  and  Michael  Angelo ;  we  do  not  make  this 
comparison  without  design,  as  it  explains  the  high 
price  of  the  works  composed  of  this  material. 

The  museum  of  the  mines,  at  St.  Petersburg,  con- 
tains a  block  weighing  317,592  pounds;  this  block 
was  the  most  remarkable  one  known,  previous  to  the 
discovery  which  was  made  in  1835,  on  the  western 
side  of  the  Ural  Mountains,  of  a  block  weighing  about 
13,233  pounds.  It  is  probably  this,  which  has  been 
cut  to  form  a  magnificent  portal,  and  a  vase  of  the 
greatest  beauty,  the  value  of  which  is  estimated  at 
nearly  $82,000.  These  chefs  d^ceuvre  excite  the  ad- 
miration of  scholars  and  artists,  but  they  will  never 
become  popular. 

Malachite,  in  truth,  can  never  be  employed  except 
for  ornament,  until  some  quarry  easily  worked  shall 
have  been  discovered.  But  there  is  nothing  to  pre- 
vent the  reproduction  in  fine  Marble,  or  in  porphyry, 
of  the  works  which  M.  Demidoff  has  caused  to  be  exe- 
cuted in  malachite.  It  is  with  this  view  that  we  have 
described  this  magnificent  chimney-piece,  whose  beau- 
tiful design  is  equally  applicable  to  all  other  ornamental 
chimney-pieces. 


4 


ANCIENT  PROCESS  FOR  PAINTING  ON  MARBLES.  221 


SECTION  EIGHTH, 

ANCIENT  AND    MODERN    PROCESSES    FOR  PAINTING  OR 
COLORING  MARBLES. 

ANCIENT  PROCESS  FOR  PAINTING  ON  MARBLES. 

^  186.  We  have  already  said  and  proved  several 
times,  that  many  of  the  new  inventions  are  merely 
the  reproductions  of  ancient  methods,  which  have  been 
abandoned  for  some  unknown  cause.  We  find  a  new 
proof  of  this  in  the  Dictionnaire  de  V Industrie^  pub- 
lished in  1785,  and  it  is  somewhat  remarkable  that, 
even  at  that  period,  this  invention  was  not  given  as  a 
new  one. 

We  make  the  following  extract  from  page  408,  vol. 
4,  of  the  Encyclopedie  de  Diderot^  where  the  article 
may  be  found : 

In  order  to  prepare  a  liquor  which  will  penetrate 
into  the  interior  of  Marble  in  such  a  manner  that  one 
can  paint  on  the  surface,  designs  which  seem  to  be 
within  the  material,  it  is  necessary  to  proceed  in  the 
following  manner : 

Take  of  aqua  fortis  and  aqua  regia,  each  two 
ounces,  one  ounce  of  salts  of  ammonia,  two  drachms 
of  the  best  spirits  of  wine,  as  much  gold  as  can  be 


222 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS'  MANUAL. 


bought  for  a  hundred  pence,  and  two  drachms  of  pure 
silver.  When  you  are  furnished  with  these  materials 
and  have  calcined  the  silver,  put  it  in  a  vial,  and  hav- 
ing poured  upon  it  the  two  ounces  of  aqua  fortis,  leave 
it  to  evaporate ;  you  will  thus  have  a  water  which  will 
at  first  give  a  blue  color,  and  finally  a  black.  Calcine 
the  gold  in  the  same  manner,  put  it  in  the  vial,  and, 
pouring  the  aqua  regia  upon  it,  leave  it  to  evaporate. 
Finally  pour  your  spirits  of  wine  upon  the  salts  of 
ammonia,  leaving  it  also  to  evaporate ;  you  will 
thus  have  a  golden  colored  water  which  will  furnish 
different  colors. 

In  this  manner  you  can  make  many  dyes  of  vari- 
ous colors,  by  the  use  of  other  metals.  This  being 
done,  by  the  aid  of  the  two  others  you  can  paint 
whatever  you  may  wish  upon  the  softest  kind  of  white 
Marble,  repeating  the  operation  every  day  for  some 
time  by  adding  new  liquor  to  the  same  figures ;  you 
will  then  find  that  the  painting"  has  penetrated  the 
Marble  in  such  a  manner  that,  in  cutting  it  in  any 
manner  you  may  please,  it  will  always  present  the  same 
figure  on  both  sides." 

MODERN    PROCESSES    FOR    DEEPLY  COLORING 
MARBLES. 

^  187.  We  will  not  repeat  here  what  we  have  al- 
ready said  several  times,  particularly  at  the  head  of 
the  preceding  paragraph;  yet  we  find  it  curious  and 
useful  to  compare  the  ancient  methods  with  the  mod- 


.ODERN  PROCESS  FOR  COLORING  MARBLES.  223 

ern  ones,  and  we  confine  ourselves  to  the  remark  that 
the  first  have  the  advantage  of  experience.  We  may 
add  that  if  they  have  been  abandoned,  it  is  because 
this  experience  has  demonstrated  their  defects,  and, 
consequently,  that  new  inventions  must  be  accepted 
cautiously,  and  with  reserve. 

To  succeed  in  the  coloring  of  Marbles,  the  pieces 
of  Marbles  upon  which  the  experiments  are  made 
should  be  well  polished,  and  free  from  any  spots  or 
veins.  The  harder  the  Marble,  the  better  it  supports 
the  heat  necessary  to  the  operation ;  on  this  account 
alabaster  and  the  common  soft  white  Marble  are  not 
suitable  for  the  purpose  which  we  propose.  Heat  is 
always  necessary,  to  open  the  pores  of  the  Marble  and 
thus  to  prepare  it  for  the  reception  of  colors,  but  it 
never  should  be  heated  to  a  red  heat,  as  the  fire  then 
alters  the  contexture  of  the  Marble,  burns  the  colors, 
and  destroys  their  beauty. 

Too  slight  a  degree  of  heat  is  as  bad  as  one  too 
great,  for  in  this  case,  though  the  Marble  takes  the 
color,  it  does  not  retain  it  well  and  is  not  penetrated 
deeply  enough.  There  are  some  colors  which  it  will 
even  take  when  cold,  but  these  never  fix  as  well  as 
when  a  proper  degree  of  heat  is  employed. 

The  proper  degree  of  heat  is  that  which,  without 
reddening  the  Marble,  is  intense  enough  to  cause  the 
liquor  which  is  on  its  surface  to  boil.  The  menstru- 
ums  which  are  used  to  incorporate  the  colors,  should 
be  varied  according  to  the  nature  of  the  color  em- 


224 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS'  MANUAL. 


pjojed ;  a  lixivium  made  with  the  urine  of  the  horse 
. — -of  dog,  mixed  with  four  parts  of  quick-lime  and  one 
of  potash,  is  excellent  for  certain  colors,  the  common 
ley  of  wood  ashes  is  good  for  others ;  for  some,  the 
spirits  of  wine  is  better,  some  others  require  oily 
liquors,  or  common  white  wine. 

The  colors  which  succeed  best  with  the  different 
menstruums  are  the  following  :  blue-stone  dissolved 
in  six  times  its  quantity  of  spirits  of  wine  or  a  uri- 
nous lixivium,  and  the  color  called  litnus  by  the 
painters,  dissolved  in  common  lixivium  of  wood ;  the 
extract  of  saffron  and  the  color  made  from  the  fruit 
of  the  buck  thorn,  called  sap  green  by  the  painters, 
both  succeed  very  well  when  dissolved  in  urine  or 
quick-lime,  and  tolerably  in  the  spirits  of  wine. 

Vermilion,  and  the  fine  powder  of  cochineal,  also 
dissolve  well  in  the  same  liquids. 

Dragons'  blood  succeeds  very  well  in  the  spirits  of 
wine,  which  is  also  used  for  the  dye  of  Campeachy 
wood. 

The  root  of  the  alkanet  gives  a  very  fine  color,  but 
the  only  menstruum  suited  to  it  is  turpentine,  as  nei- 
ther the  spirits  of  wine  or  any  lixivium  has  the  power 
to  dissolve  it. 

There  is  still  another  kind  of  dragons'  blood,  called 
dragon's  blood  in  tears,  which  gives  a  beautiful  color 
when  mixed  with  urine  alone. 

^  188.    Besides  these  mixtures  of  colors  and  men- 


MODERN  PROCESS  FOR  COLORING  MARBt^i^  v  225 

struums,  certain  colors  can  be  put  on  dry  and'iif^Hiix-  ^ 
ed ;  sucb  as  the  purest  dragons'  blood  for  the-.^^^^^^^^^^;^ 
the  gamboge  for  the  yellow,  the  green  wax  for  a  kind 
of  green,  the  common  sulphur,  pitch  and  turpentine 
for  a  brown  color. 

For  all  these  experiments,  the  Marble  must  be  con- 
siderably heated,  and  the  dry  colors  then  rubbed  upon 
the  block. 

Some  of  these  colors,  properly  applied,  remain  im- 
movable, some  are  changed  and  finally  effaced  by 
others ;  thus,  the  red  color  produced  by  dragon's 
blood  or  the  decoction  of  Campeachy  wood,  is  entirely 
effaced  by  the  oil  of  tartar,  without  the  polish  of  the 
Marble  receiving  any  injury. 

A  beautiful  golden  color  is  produced  in  the  follow- 
ing manner :  Take  equal  quantities  of  the  crude  salts 
of  ammonia,  of  vitriol,  and  of  verdigris,  the  white 
vitriol  is  the  best  for  this  purpose ;  grind  these  to- 
gether, and  reduce  them  all  to  a  very  fine  powder. 

All  the  shades  of  red  and  yellow  may  be  given  to 
the  Marble  with  the  solutions  of  dragons'  blood  and 
gamboge,  by  reducing  these  gums  to  powder  and  grind- 
ing them  with  spiri,ts  of  wine  in  a  glass  mortar. 

But,  when  little  is  required,  the  best  method  is  to 
mix  one  of  these  powders  with  spirits  of  wine  in  a  sil- 
ver spoon,  and  hold  it  over  a  hea.ted  brasier ;  this  ex- 
tracts a  fine  color,  and,  by  dipping  a  small  brush  in 
it,  the  finest  veins  may  be  made  upon  the  cold 
Marble. 


226  THE  MARBLE  WORKERS'  MANUAL. 


When  this  is  afterwards  heated  over  sand  from  the 
fire,  or  in  a  baker's  oven,  the  coloring  will  be  absorbed 
and  will  remain  perfectly  distinct  upon  the  stone. 

It  is  very  easy,  by  the  same  means,  to  give  a  ground 
of  a  red  or  a  yellow  color  to  Marble,  leaving  white 
veins  upon  it. 

This  is  done  by  covering  the  parts  designed  to  re- 
tain their  whiteness,  with  white  paint,  or  even  with 
two  or  three  folds  of  paper  ;  either  of  these  will  pre- 
vent the  penetration  of  the  color  in  this  part. 

All  the  shades  of  red  may  be  given  to  Marble  sim- 
ply with  the  aid  of  this  gum.  A  weak  coloring,  ap- 
plied without  the  assistance  of  heat,  will  produce  a 
pale  flesh  color,  but  the  stronger  the  coloring  is  made 
the  deeper  will  the  color  be  ;  to  this  the  action  of  heat 
contributes  much.  By  adding  a  little  pitch  to  the 
coloring,  a  black  shade,  or  all  the  varieties  of  dark 
red,  can  be  given. 

The  archil  of  the  Canary  Islands,  a  species  of  moss, 
simply  diluted  in  water  and  applied  when  cold  to  the 
Marble,  communicates  to  it  a  beautiful  blue  color, 
which  is  more  precious,  as  this  color  is  rarely  found 
in  Marbles ;  by  putting  on  the  coloring  in  proportion 
as  it  dries,  it  becomes  very  fine  in  less  than  twenty- 
four  hours,  and  penetrates  deeply. 

If  the  paste  of  archil  is  used,  which  is  a  prepara- 
tion of  the  plant  with  lime  and  fermented  urine,  the 
color  obtained  will  be  more  of  a  violet  than  blue ;  to 
obtain  a  perfect  blue  it  must  be  diluted  in  lemon 


PICTURES  IN  STUCCO. 


227 


jmce ;  tliis  acid  will  not  injure  the  Marble,  as  it  has 
been  weakened  by  its  action  upon  the  archil. 

Large  blue  veins  may  thus  be  formed  upon  the 
cold,  white  Marble,  which  produces  a  beautiful  effect, 
but  as  this  color  is  apt  to  spread,  it  will  not  be  pure 
or  exact  unless  the  colored  parts  are  instantly  touched 
with  dragons'  blood  or  gamboge,  which  checks  it. 

It  may  also  be  checked  with  wax,  either  colored,  if 
colored  veins  are  required,  or  white,  if  they  are  to  re- 
main white. 

This  blue  color,  which  penetrates  the  Marble  more 
than  an  inch,  also  renders  it  softer ;  this,  however,  is 
but  a  slight  objection,  as  it  is  absorbed  in  but  few 
places,  and  also  possesses  sufficient  solidity  to  last 
many  years  without  suffering  any  material  change, 

FIGURES   IN    RELIEF   UPON  MARBLE. 

^  189.  A  method  has  also  been  discovered  for  tra- 
cing figures  in  relief  upon  Marble  with  great  facility. 
For  this  purpose,  the  desired  figures  are  first  traced 
upon  the  Marble  with  chalky  they  are  then  covered 
with  a  coat  of  varnish,  made  of  common  Spanish 
sealing-wax,  dissolved  in  spirits  of  wine  ;  after 
which  a  mixture  of  equal  parts  of  acid  of  salts  and 
distilled  vinegar  is  poured  upon  the  Marble,  which 
corrodes  the  ground  while  the  figures  remain  in  relief, 
as  if  engraved  at  the  cost  of  much  time  and  expense. 


228 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS^  MANUAL. 


PICTURES   IN  STUCCO. 

^  190.  We  have  already  described  the  composition 
and  working  of  stucco  at  the  present  day,  but  we  find 
some  things  more  perfect  in  the  ancient  methods  than 
in  the  modern. 

The  following  extract  was  written  in  1781. 
There  is  still  another  method  of  working  in  stuc- 
co which  is  superior  to  this,  as  by  it  pieces  are  so 
beautifully  executed  as  to  resemble  the  finest  paint- 
ings. Landscapes  are  made  of  this  stucco,  and  we 
have  seen  at  one  of  the  exhibitions  of  the  Gallery,  a 
flower  picture  of  the  greatest  beauty,  in  which  all  the 
colors  were  shaded  as  if  they  had  been  laid  on  with  a 
brush.  Indeed  the  manner  in  which  these  pieces  are 
executed  may  be  regarded  as  a  species  of  painting  in 
stucco,  as  may  be  seen  from  the  process. 

^'  The  stucco,  or  artificial  Marble,  of  which  these 
beautiful  works  are  made,  is  a  composition  of  which 
plaster  forms  the  entire  base ;  the  hardness  that  may 
be  given  it,  the  different  colors  with  which  it  may  be 
mixed,  and  the  polish  of  which  it  is  susceptible,  ren- 
ders it  suitable  to  imitate,  with  almost  perfect  exact- 
ness, the  most  costly  Marbles. 

COLORING   OF   ARTIFICIAL  MARBLES. 

^191.  This  coloring,  which  is  now  given  us  as  a 
novelty,  was  clearly  described  in  some  very  ancient 


COLORING  OF  ARTIFICIAL  MARBLES. 


229 


works,  which  were  copied  by  the  authors  of  the  Ency- 
clopedia, published  in  1780,  in  the  following  words  : 

"  When  any  Marble  is  to  be  imitated,  soak  the  colors 
which  are  found  in  this  Marble  in  warm  glue  water,  in 
different  small  pots ;  temper  a  little  plaster  with  each 
of  these  colors,  then  make  a  cake  of  each  color,  a  little 
larger  than  the  hand,  place  all  these  cakes  alternately 
upon  each  other,  placing  those  of  the  prevailing  color 
in  the  greatest  number,  or  thicker. 

"  Then  turn  these  cakes,  thus  flatly  arranged,  upon 
the  side  ;  cut  them  and  place  them  quickly  upon  the 
core  of  the  work,  afterwards  flattening  them  down. 

"  By  this  means,  the  fantastical  design  of  the  dif- 
ferent colors  of  the  Marble  can  be  perfectly  repre- 
sented. 

"  If  the  Marbles  termed  Breccias  are  to  be  imitated, 
mix  in  the  composition  of  these  cakes,  when  spread 
upon  the  core,  different  sized  pieces  of  the  plaster 
tempered  with  the  color  of  the  Breccia ;  these  pieces, 
when  flattened  down,  form  very  good  imitations  of 
Breccias. 

''It  should  be  observed  that  in  all  these  operations, 
the  glue  water  should  be  warm,  without  which  the 
plaster  will  set  too  quickly,  without  giving  time  to 
work  it." 


230 


TttE  MARBLE  WORKEPcS'  MANtJALe 


SECTION  NINTH. 

TURNED  MARBLE, 

ORNAMENTAL   CLOCKS,   CUPS.  CANDLESTICKS, 

^  192.  Cylindrical  articles,  such  as  columns  of  clocks, 
chimney-pieces,  cups,  vases,  candlesticks,  basins,  etc., 
are  made  in  the  lathe  by  professional  workmen ;  and 
even  those  vases  resting  upon  square  or  octagonal  pe- 
destals, may  also  be  worked  by  the  turner.  This  is 
also  true  of  the  torso  columns  of  temples  and  churches. 

The  turning-lathe  is  far  more  expeditious  and  surer 
than  the  chisel ;  it  must  be  an  extraordinary  event  to 
cause  the  failure  of  an  article  in  the  turner's  hand ; 
but  this  is  not  the  case  when  it  is  worked  with  the 
mallet  and  chisel. 

There  are  many  articles  which  cannot  be  executed 
with  the  chisel,  such  as  delicate  parts  of  some  clocks, 
candelabras,  and  candlesticks  which  are  partly  in  Mar- 
ble and  partly  in  bronze. 

All  the  fine  Marbles  unite  perfectly  with  green  or 
gilded  bronze.  This  is  true  respecting  the  pedestals 
of  clocks,  and  the  stems,  more  or  less  ornamented, 
which  support  vases  and  cizps. 

It  is  not  an  uncommon  thing  to  see  workmen  under-  . 
standing  the  art  of  the  Marble  worker,  eagerly  desire 


ORNAMENTED   CLOCKS,  CUPS    CANDLESTICKS.  231 

to  be  able  to  turn  the  articles  which  they  apply  as  or. 
naments  to  works  which  they  execute  in  the  atelier. 

This  is  expensive,  owing  to  the  room  and  the  tools 
required  ;  yet  it  would  be  very  convenient,  especially 
in  the  provinces,  where  it  is  not  easy  to  find  turners 
capable  of  making  the  vases,  urns,  columns,  and  rose- 
work  which  are  needed. 

These  workmen  would  have  many  advantages  over 
the  ordinary  turners,  as  they  would  understand  the 
nature  of  Marble,  the  mode  of  polishing,  and  the  man- 
ner of  cementing  the  defective  parts. 

It  would  be  an  excellent  plan  for  a  Marble  yard  to 
have  a  turning  lathe  for  the  use  of  those  workmen  who 
have  a  taste  for  the  art  of  the  turner. 


VOCABULARY. 


A. 

Alabaster. — A  species  of  white  Marble,  very  transpa- 
rent, and  easily  worked,  which  is  especially  used  for  clocks 
and  mantel  vases.  There  are  several  varieties  of  colored 
alabaster,  besides  a  kind  called  agate,  which  is  greenish, 
mixed  with  a  clear  bister. 

Antique  Marble. — The  beautiful  white  Marble  taken 
from  the  ancient  quarries  of  Greece,  specimens  of  which 
still  exist  m  superb  statues  and  magnificent  bas-reliefs. 

Alkanet. — A  plant,  a  species  of  anchusa,  the  root  of 
which  affords  a  reddish  purple  dye. 

Archil. — A  lichen,  which  grows  on  rocks  in  the  Cana- 
ry and  Cape  de  Verd  Islands,  and  which  yields  a  rich 
purple  color.  It  is  bruised  between  stones,  and  moisten- 
ed with  strong  spirits  of  wine  mixed  with  quick-lime. — 
It  first  takes  a  purplish  red  color,  and  then  turns  to  blue. 
In  the  first  state  it  is  called  archil^  in  the  second,  litmus. 

Arris. — Edges  formed  by  the  meeting  of  two  surfaces  ; 
applied  particularly  to  the  edges  of  mouldings,  and  the 
raised  edges  which  separate  the  flutings  in  a  Doric  col- 
umn. 

B. 

Bleu  Turquin. — Marble  taken  from  the  coasts  of  Ge- 
noa and  several  other  quarries.  It  is  of  a  deep  blue  upon 
a  white  ground,  mixed  with  grey  spots  and  large  veins. 

Block  of  Marble. — A  piece,  rough  from  the  quarry. 


234  THE   MARBLE  WORKERS'  MANUAL. 

Breccia — A  species  of  Marble  composed  of  a  mass  of 
small  pebbles,  closely  cemented  together  in  such  a  man- 
ner that,  when  broken,  they  form  breches,  or  notches ; 
whence  its  name. 

Brocatelle. — A  Marble  of  which  the  color  is  a  mix- 
ture of  grey,  yellow,  red,  and  dove  shades.  It  is  very 
costly,  and  is  scarcely  ever  used  except  for  ornaments. 

Burin. — A  steel  blade,  nearly  square,  and  often  squar- 
ed and  sharpened  at  one  end  in  the  form  of  a  grain  of 
barley. 

Boasting  Tool. — A  kind  of  chisel  with  a  handle,  used 
by  sculptors  who  work  in  stucco  and  plaster,  to  boast 
their  works. 

Boasted  Marble. — That  which  is  worked  with  the 
double  etching  needle,  or  chisel.  The  best  are  made  of 
cast  steel. 

0. 

Cheval  de  Terre. — The  spaces  filled  with  clay  which 
are  sometimes  discovered  in  the  blocks  of  Marble,  and 
which  would  spoil  the  finest  works.  These  accidents 
tend  to  increase  the  price  of  Marble  working,  as  they  may 
result  in  great  injury  to  the  Marble  worker 

Cement. — This  is  both  natural  and  artificial ;  the  first 
is  that  which  acts  in  the  formation  of  the  Marble,  joining 
together  the  different  parts  ;  the  second  is  composed  by 
the  Marble  workers  for  uniting  and  gluing  the  Marbles 
when  worked,  and  for  filling  the  cavities  which  are  found 
in  some  stones  and  Marbles. 

Ceiisel  in  Marteline. — A  tool  of  the  Marble  worker; 
it  is  steeled  on  one  end  and  furnished  with  small  points 
to  shell  off  and  boast  the  Marble. 


VOCABULARY. 


235 


Chisels. — Small  steel  tools  which  are  used  to  aid  the 
sledge  hammer  or  mallet  in  working  Marble  or  stone. — 
Every  Marble  worker  has  a  collection  of  them.  The  finest 
are  of  oast  steel. 

Compartment  of  Marble  Pavements. — The  symme- 
trical arrangement  of  blocks  or  tiles  of  different  colored 
Marbles,  or  of  Marbles  and  lias  stone. 

Compass. — A  hinged  tool  with  two  pointed  branches, 
used  in  all  the  arts  and  trades  for  measuring  Imes,  and 
tracing  discs,  ovals  and  circles  of  all  kinds  upon  wood, 
minerals  or  metals.  There  is  a  kind  with  a  hinge  and 
pencil  case  in  one  of  its  branches,  but  this  is  not  gene- 
rally used  by  Marble  workers. 

Compass  of  the  Figure  Eight. — This  is  to  measure 
on  one  side,  giving  the  measure  on  the  other ;  it  is  prin- 
cipally used  in  the  turning  lathe. 

Compass  of  Depth. — This  compass  is  designed  to  find 
the  depth  of  a  diameter.  The  branches  are  bent,  so  that 
the  article  to  be  measured  can  pass  between  them.  The 
best  have  the  arc  of  a  circle  fixed  at  one  branch  and  pass- 
ing through  the  other,  under  a  thumb  screw  which  fastens 
them  open  as  long  as  may  be  wished. 

Callosities  of  Marble. — These  defects  are  to  Marble 
what  knots  are  to  wood. 

Crumbly  Marble. — That  which,  when  worked,  does 
not  retain  its  sharp  arris,  but  crumbles  and  falls  off. 

D. 

Dog's  tooth.  A  kind  of  puncheon  used  by  Marble 
workers. 

Drill.    A  pointed  instrument,  used  for  boring  holes. 


236  THE  MARBLE  WORKERS^  MANUAL. 


Emery  dust.  A  species  of  powdered  coruudrum.  taken 
from  under  the  wheels  upon  which  lapidaries  polish 
stones.  It  is  used  bj  the  Marble  workers  for  polishing 
Marble. 

F. 

Feld  Spar.  A  vitreous  substance,  which  is  one  of  the 
essential  constituents  of  granite,  mica,  and  porphyry,  and 
enters  into  the  constitution  of  nearly  all  the  volcanic 
rocks. 

Fraise.  a  tool  used  to  enlarge  the  holes  which  are 
made  in  the  Marble  with  a  drill  or  common  auger.  It  is 
of  a  slightly  conical  form  and  is  grooved  roughly  to  aid 
its  effect  upon  the  Marble. 

G. 

Gradine.  a  kind  of  puncheon  used  by  the  Marble 
worker. 

Granite.  A  very  hard  Marble,  marked  with  small, 
condensed  spots.  The  most  common  colors  are  grey, 
greyish  white,  and  flesh  red  ;  some  are  green,  violet, 
etc. 

Gypsum.  A  calcareous  matter,  impregnated  with  too 
great  a  quantity  of  vitriolic  acid  to  permit  it  to  be  affected 
by  any  other  acid. 

H. 

Houguette.    An  etchmg  needle,  flat  and  steeled. 
Hooked  tool. — A  kind  of  sharp  chisel  which  is  wholly 
of  steel,  or  of  iron  steeled  on  one  end,  which  is  half  bent 


VOCABULARY. 


237 


X 


in  a  booked  shape ;  this  chisel  is  used  where^tEy^i^u^r^;  . 
chisel  cannot  penetrate  and  where  the  etching  needle  vfoiitd^^^ 
not  be  sufficient. 

Hearths. — Pieces  of  Marble,  from  three  to  five  feet  in 
length,  and  from  twenty  to  twenty-three  inches  in  width, 
which  are  placed  before  chimney-pieces  for  ornament,  and 
to  preserve  floorings  and  carpets  from  accidents  from  fire. 
They  are  both  simple  and  composite.  The  simple  ones 
are  formed  of  a  s'ngle  piece  without  ornaments  ;  the  com-* 
posite  are  those  composed  of  several  pieces  of  different  Mar- 
bles, thus  resembling  a  sort  of  mosaic. 


Jasper. — Marble  of  a  greenish  color,  mixed  with  small 
red  spots.  There  is  an  antique  jasper  with  small  spots 
of  black  and  white. 

A  variety  of  quartz,  penetrated  with  metallic  particles. 

Jasper  Marble. — A  Marble  resembling  the  antique 
jasper. 


Lapis. — An  antique  Marble  of  a  deep  blue,  spotted  with 
a  deeper  blue,  and  intermixed  with  a  few  veins  of  gold. — 
It  is  one  of  the  richest,  but  is  very  rare. 

Lixivium. — Lye  ;  chemical  solutions  ;  extracts  and 
washes. 


J. 


L. 


M. 


Mallet. — Wooden  hammers,  used  for  beating  or  driv- 
ing other  tools  employed  in  Marble  working.    The  best 


238  THE  MARBLE  WORKERS  MANUAL. 


have  knobs  of  boxwood,  alder,  or  horn  beam.  Those  of 
iron  are  called  sledge-hammers. 

Marble. — A  hard,  calcareous  stone,  somewhat  transpa- 
rent, black  or  white,  or  veined  and  spotted  with  different 
colors. 

Marble  :  artificial. — A  composition  of  gypsum,  mixed 
with  various  colors  in  imitation  of  Marble.  This  compo- 
sition is  hard  and  susceptible  of  polish,  but  is  apt  to  scale 
off: 

Marble  painting. — Painting  which  imitates  the  dif- 
ferent colors,  veins,  and  peculiarities  of  Marbles. 

Marble  working. — This  not  only  comprises  the  use 
of  Marble,  but  also  the  art  of  sawing,  cutting,  and  polish- 
ing it,  and  of  restoring  and  repohshing  it  when  it  is  old. 

Marble  worker. — A  workman  who  hews,  cuts,  and 
polishes  Marble. 

Martin. — A  tool  which  is  very  essential  to  all  ateliers. 
It  is  a  brass  plate  glued  to  a  stone,  with  a  handle  attached 
to  facilitate  its  movement.  An  aperture  of  an  inch  and  a 
half  or  two  inches  is  made  in  the  centre  of  this  plate  and 
its  lining,  through  which  sand  and  water  is  passed  upon 
the  Marble  to  polish  it.  There  are  several  sizes,  some  of 
which  may  be  worked  by  an  apprentice,  while  some  re- 
quire one  or  two  workmen,  according  to  the  size  of  the 
piece  to  be  polished  and  the  weight  of  the  martin. 

Mastic — A  composition  of  oil  and  different  gummy 
substances.  It  is  used  to  fill  up  the  cavities  in  Marble, 
and  to  cement  the  pieces  together  after  having  been 
worked.    There  are  mastics,  also,  especially  for  stone. 

Mica. — A  mineral  of  the  same  nature  as  quartz  and 
jasper,  and  capable  of  being  cleaved  into  exceedingly  thin 
plates  5  one  of  the  primitive  glasses. 


Vocabulary. 


239 


MADREPOti^:. — A  species  of  coral  of  the  class  of  Zoo- 
phytes. The  species  usually  branch  like  trees  or  shrubs. 
The  surface  is  covered  with  small  prominences,  each  con- 
taining a  celL 

Menstruum.— A  solvent ;  any  fluid  or  subtilized  sub- 
stance which  dissolves  a  solid  body* 

0. 

Ormolu.' — Brass,  which  by  a  chemical  process  is  made 
to  assume  the  appearance  of  being  gilt. 

P. 

Palette  or  conscience. — A  kind  of  drill  plate,  com- 
posed of  an  iron  plate  perforated  with  several  holes,  in 
which  the  head  of  the  drill  is  placed,  and  which  is  rested 
upon  the  breast  of  the  workman  to  augment  its  force  and 
diminish  his  labor.  Drills  fastened  in  a  rod  which  is 
mounted  upon  a  flattened  knob,  are  sometimes  substituted 
for  this. 

Paros  MARBLE.—An  antique  Marble  which  was  quar« 
ried  from  an  island  of  the  Archipelago.  It  is  white  with 
a  yellowish  tint,  and  transparent. 

Paper  stone. — A  round,  oval,  or  square  piece  of  Mar- 
ble, to  which  a  knob  of  Marble  is  attached  ;  used  to  keep 
paper  in  its  place  upon  the  desk.  These  are  made  from 
the  cuttings  of  slabs  and  other  articles  of  Marble. 

Pumice  stone.^ — A  substance  which  is  frequently  ejected 
from  volcanoes ;  supposed  to  be  produced  by  the  disen- 
gagement of  gas,  in  which  the  lava  is  in  a  plastic  state. — 
It  is  .used  for  polishing  Marbles,  either  powdered  or  in 
pieces. 


240  THE  MARBLE  WORKERS^  MANUAL. 


Plaster  STONE. — A  calcareous  substance,  which  is  cal- 
cined, pulverized,  and  tempered  with  cold  water  to  form 
coats  of  impression,  and  even  stuccos. 

Puncheon. — One  of  the  tools  of  the  Marble  worker ; 
an  iron  instrument,  with  a  sharp,  steeled  point. 

Polished  Marble. — That  w^hich  has  been  rubbed  and 
glossed  with  a  linen  cushion,  or  with  emery  dust  or  pew- 
ter. There  are  two  kinds  of  polish  ;  the  common,  which 
is  given  to  simple  articles ;  the  lustrous,  which  is  given  to 
articles  requiring  more  pains,  such  as  costly  chimney- 
pieces,  Marble  furniture,  clocks,  candelabras,  has  reliefs, 
hearths,  vases,  and  other  articles  of  the  same  nature. 

Porphyry. — The  hardest  of  the  antique  Marbles,  and 
the  finest,  after  the  Lapis.  There  are  red,  green,  and 
grey  porphyries. 

Pewter. — The  ashes  which  results  from  the  calcina- 
tion of  tin.  it  is  much  used  in  the  arts,  and  also  by 
Marble  workers  in  polishing  their  works. 

Pudding-stones. — All  stones  which  are  composed  of 
fragments  of  other  stones,  united  by  a  natural  cement. — 
The  Breccias  are  pudding-stones  ;  yet  all  pudding-stones 
are  not  Breccias,  as  some  of  them  are  not  composed  of 
calcareous  matter. 

PozzoLANA. — Natural  cement  produced  from  the  scoride 
of  volcanic  substances. 

Q. 

Quartz. — The  first  of  the  glasses  ^  the  essential  con- 
stituent of  granite  and  porphyry. 

E. 


Eabat.— Marble  workers  give  this  name  to  the  potter^s 


VOCABULARr. 


241 


clay  which  has  failed  in  baking,  and  which  they  use  to 
smooth  down  the  roughness  of  the  Marble. 

Rabot. — A  piece  of  hard  wood,  used  in  rubbing  the 
Marble,  and  preparing  it  to  receive  the  polish. 

Rasp. — A  species  of  file,  upon  which  the  cutting  prom- 
inences are  distinct,  being  raised  by  punching  with  a 
point,  instead  of  cutting  with  a  chisel.  They  are  flat, 
half  rounded,  and  round. 

Rough  hewn  Marble.— That  which  is  cut  up  with  the 
saw,  or  squared  with  the  mallet. 

Round  Nosed  Chisel. — A  tool  used  by  the  Marble 
worker  for  sinking  the  Marble,  and  leveling  the  cavities. 

Round  File. — A  kind  of  file,  or  round  and  pointed 
rasp,  used  by  Marble  workers. 

Rough  Marble. — That  which  is  yet  iu  the  block. 

S. 

Saw,  of  the  Marble  Worker.-— It  is  without  teeth; 
with  a  different  frame  from  common  saws,  and  propor- 
tioned to  the  pieces  to  be  cut  up.  The  blade  of  this  saw 
is  large,  and  strong  enough  to  saw  the  Marble  slowly, 
with  the  aid  of  sand  and  water  which  the  sawer  pours 
into  the  cleft.  There  are  also  two  kinds  of  hand  saws, 
one  of  which  is  notched,  and  the  other  smooths 

Scraper. — A  toothed  and  steeled  instrument,  designed 
for  sinking  flutings  ;  also  a  tool  used  by  stucco  workers. 

Shave  Grass. — A  kind  of  rough  aquatic  plant,  some- 
times called  Dutch  rush,  or  scouring  rush. 

Sebilla. — A  wooden  bowl,  designed  to  hold  the  sand 
and  water  used  in  sawing  the  Marble. 

Serpentine. — A  calcareous  stone  or  very  hard  Marble, 
which  takes  a  very  fine  polish  ;  it  derives  its  name  from 


242 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS^  MANUAL. 


the  resemblance  of  its  grains  to  the  spots  upon  the  skin 
of  a  serpent. 

Simple  Compartment* — The  plan  of  a  pavement,  com- 
posed of  tiles  of  black  and  white  Marble,  or  two  other 
colors,  arranged  in  squares  or  lozenges. 

Spar. — An  earthy  mineral  that  breaks  with  regular 
surfaces,  and  has  some  degree  of  lustre  ;  a  crystallized 
earthy  mineral  of  a  shining  lustre. 

Stucco. — An  artificial  stone,  with  which  all  kinds  of 
Marbles  may  be  imitated.  In  England  this  style  of  build- 
ing is  very  common^  and  man}^  brick  edifices  are  found 
covered  with  it,  sometimes  in  a  highly  ornamental  man- 
ner.   In  the  United  States  it  has  been  little  used. 

T. 

Talc. — A  kind  of  soft,  unctuous  stone  ;  one  of  the  con- 
stituents  of  Marble. 

TERRASES.—Defects  in  Marble  which  are  remedied  by 
filling  them  with  Marble  powder  mixed  with  mastic  of 
the  same  color ;  first  cleaning  out  the  hole,  filled  with  a 
foreign  substance  which  is  neither  clay,  Marble  or  gra- 
nite. 

Trepan. — A  tool  used  for  boring  and  drilling  Marbles 
and  hard  stones.  It  is  rarely  used  since  the  invention  of 
the  wimble,  which  is  much  better  suited  to  the  purposes 
for  which  it  was  used. 

W. 

Wimble. — An  instrument  for  boring  holes,  turned  by 
a  handle. 

Z. 

Zinc. — A  metal  brilliantly  white,  with  a  shade  of  blue, 
which  is  used,  either  in  powder  or  in  pieces,  for  polishing 
Marbles,  most  especially  toy  Marbles. 


APPENDIX 


CONCERNING 

AMERICAN  MARBLES. 

To  make  this  Manual  complete  for  the  use  of  Ameri- 
can Marble-workers,  it  only  remains  for  us  to  give 
some  account  of  the  Marbles  of  the  United  States. 

Our  country  is  rich  in  Marbles,  but  it  is  only  in 
the  older  States  that  quarries  have  been  opened  or 
worked  to  any  great  extent.  The  few  explorations 
that  have  been  made,  however,  leave  no  doubt  that 
inexhaustible  stores  of  the  finest  qualities  are  packed 
away  within  the  mountains  and  in  ledges  that  are  easily 
accessible.  The  wise  policy  of  most  of  our  States  has 
caused  early  geological  surveys  to  be  made^  and  it  is 
through  their  medium  that  the  discovery  of  new  va- 
rieties and  abundant  supplies  will  doubtless  be  made 
quite  as  fast  as  there  is  a  demand  for  them. 

But  while  none  doubt  the  plentiful  quantity  of  our 
native  Marbles,  there  has  been  much  skepticism  as  to 
their  quality.  We  sent  no  specimens,  good  or  bad, 
to  the  Great  London  Exhibition,  and  the  world  has 
been  obliged  to  judge  of  our  resources  in  this  respect 
entirely  by  our  buildings.  Any  bad  impression  that 
has  gone  forth  is  due  not  so  much  to  the  bad  quality 


244 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS'  MANUAL. 


of  the  material  itself,  as  to  the  neglect  of  care  on  the 
part  of  builders  and  of  those  entrusted  with  the  duty 
of  selecting  Marble  for  our  public  edifices.    The  ex- 
traordinary representations  of  interested  parties  have 
foisted  many  miserable  specimens  into  use.    The  haste 
of  contractors  has  put  into  buildings  a  good  many 
very  unworthy  blocks  from  quarries  that  easily  might 
have  furnished  plenty  of  unexceptionable  ones.  The 
elomentary  principle  very  often  has  been  neglected — 
that  regard  should  be  had  in  laying  up  stones,  that 
are  to  bear  much  pressure,  to  the  original  bedding  of 
the  stone.    Hence  blocks  which,  if  placed  different- 
ly, would  have  lasted  for  centuries,  already,  after 
standing  at  right  angles  to  their  natural  position  but 
a  few  years,  are  scaling  off  and  crumbling  on  their 
surfaces.    Then  it  would  seem  as  if  some  who  have 
chosen  the  materials  for  our  marble  fronts  were  color- 
blind.    Certainly  nothing  can  look  more  slovenly  than 
some  patchwork  fronts  we  are  obliged  to  endure  the 
sight  of— first  a  snowy  white  block,  next  a  bluish  one, 
then  one  of  a  creamy  yellow,  and  then  one  so  full  of 
fissures  that  the  dirt  lodged  in  it  gives  an  appearance 
of  some  very  undesirable  veined  variety.    A  slight 
knowledge  of  the  geological  habits  of  Marble  would 
have  saved  many  public  blunders  and  prevented  many 
costly  mistakes.    The  limestone  ledges  which  rise  in 
smooth  bleached  perpendicular  walls,  that  give  no  hold 
to  lichens,  and  are  not  discolored  by  the  solution  of 
any  of  their  component  parts,  must  furnish  the  Mar* 


APPENDIX. 


245 


bles  that  will  bear  the  weather  well.  While  those  into 
which  rivers  have  cut  deep  channels,  or  which  stand- 
ing inland  bear  deep  seams  across  their  face,  or  which 
have  to  be  dug  from  under  the  original  surface  of  the 
earth,  and  over  which  much  soil  has  accumulated,  give 
in  their  very  position  the  strongest  evidence  that  they 
cannot  long  endure. 

As  we  have  said,  few  of  the  States  or  territories 
have  been  thoroughly  or  even  casually  surveyed  with 
reference  to  their  wealth  in  building  nTaterials.  Yet 
new  as  our  country  is,  and  busy  as  our  geologists  have 
been  in  indicating  the  enterprizes  which  would  more 
immediately  reward  industry  and  capital,  we  have  al- 
ready a  long  list  of  localities  prolific  in  available 
Marbles. 

Maine  abounds  as  no  other  State  does  in  limestones. 
Some  from  the  vicinity  of  Thomaston  admit  a  fine 
polish.  They  are  the  blue,  the  clouded,  the  veined, 
and  an  elegant  white  dolomite  for  monuments.  About 
Union  and  Machias  some  breccias  are  obtained. 

Vermont  is  the  Marble  State,  and  this  material  will 
prove  one  of  its  most  fruitful  sources  of  wealth.  Fine 
white  Marble,  which  can  be  obtained  in  large  cakes,  is 
found  along  the  base  of  the  Green  Mountains,  for  fifty 
miles  above  and  below  Rutland.  At  West  Rutland 
statuary  Marble  is  quarried  that  is  surpassed  by  none 
in  the  world.  Our  own  sculptors  have  availed  them- 
selves of  it  to  some  extent,  and  some  orders  for  it  from 
Italian  sculptors  at  Rome  have  been  filled.    It  is 


246  THE  MARBLE  WORKERS^  MANUAL. 

said  to  be  of  a  finer  grain,  to  work  more  easily  tlian 
the  foreign,  and  not  to  crumble  so  badly  under  the 
chisel.  At  this  same  locality  is  a  spotted  grey  Mar- 
ble, much  used  for  mantels.  A  beautiful  dark-colored 
article  is  got  at  Pittsford.  From  Shoreham  and  other 
points  along  Lake  Champlain,  black  Marble  is  ob- 
tained. At  our  New  York  Crystal  Palace  Exhibition 
a  shell  Marble  from  Vermont,  with  bright  red  spots, 
attracted  mu<sJi  attention — but  it  has  not  been  worked. 
A  serpentine  recently  discovered  in  Roxbury  promises 
to  replace  the  exhausted  quarries  of  Europe.  It  very 
closely  resembles  the  European  verd  antique,  but 
where  the  latter  has  carbonate  of  lime,  the  former  has 
carbonate  of  magnesia.  According  to  Dr.  Jackson, 
ours  has  a  superior  out-of-door  durability,  and  longer 
resists  decomposition  from  the  atmosphere,  from  fire, 
and  from  acids.  It  offers  no  hold  to  moss.  '  It  cuts 
hard,  but  is  sawn  more  easily.  When  polished  it  is 
of  a  rich  and  beautiful  green,  veined  with  white  and 
mottled.  The  quarries  of  this  one  State  produce  over 
a  million  dollars  annually. 

Massachusetts  abounds  in  limestones,  free  enough 
from  fissure,  and  compact  enough  to  admit  a  medium 
polish.  Berkshire  County  is  especially  rich  in  such — 
so  much  so  indeed  that  scarcely  an  effort  has  been 
made  to  obtain  them  elsewhere  in  the  State.  It  was 
hoped  that  the  bed  in  Stoneham,  (Middlesex  County,) 
would  furnish  even  the  rare  variety  used  in  statuary, 
and  small  specimens  of  it  compare  favorably  with  the 


APPENDIX.      f    l]^C'--y  247^ 

Carrara.  But  it  is  so  full  of  fissures.  tKat  blocks  can 
seldom  be  obtaioed.  The  best  Berksbires  are  ^ of  a. 
snowy  white,  free  from  magnesia,  and  for  a  primary 
Marble  are  elegant.  Occasionally,  however,  they  are 
clouded  and  frequently  are  grey.  The  North  Adams 
Marble  is  white  and  pure,  but  a  little  too  crystaline. 
That  of  New  Ashford  is  of  a  finer  grain.  The  New 
York  City  Hall  was  built  of  the  West  Stockbridge 
Marble,  and  a  part  of  the  Boston  State  House  is 
from  the  same  locality.  From  Sheffield  came  the 
Girard  College  pillars.  The  Lee  Marble  is  just  now 
most  prominently  before  the  public — it  being  the  ma- 
terial employed  in  building  the  extension  of  the  Capi- 
tol at  Washington.  At  Great  Barrington  is  a  beau- 
tiful clouded  Marble,  well  adapted  for  mantels  and 
jambs,  but  owing  to  its  40  per  cent,  of  magnesia,  is 
very  liable  to  break.  Prof.  Hitchcock  finds  in  this 
vicinity  a  flexible  Marble — which,  if  properly  wet, 
bends  like  a  lath— a  singular  property,  but  not  quite 
unknown  abroad ;  as  several  tables  of  elastic  Marble 
were  preserved  and  exhibited  in  the  house  of  Prince 
Borghese,  of  Rome,  as  great  curiosities.  There  is  a 
beautiful  serpentine  found  at  Lynnfield,  but  it  is  too 
soft.  Beds  of  steatite,  hardened  by  quartz  or  serpen- 
tine, are  common  too  in  Massachusetts.  Several 
houses  with  steatite  fronts  have  lately  been  erected  in 
New  York  and  Brooklyn — all  which  were  furnished, 
however,  from  Middlefield,  Yt.  This  hardened  stea- 
tite will  very  possibly  come  into  common  use  hereafter. 


248 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS'  MANUAL. 


Rhode  Island  has  some  Marbles,  but  the  quarries 
are  little  worked. 

Connecticut  forty  years  ago  furnished  the  rarest 
and  most  beautiful  of  verd  antiques.  For  in-door 
work  it  was  admirably  fitted  ;  but  exposed,  as  for 
grave-stones  and  monuments,  it  soon  parted  with  its 
polish  and  grew  dull.  Though  inexhaustible,  the  in- 
creasing expense  of  working  it  has  caused  it  to  be  ne- 
glected. 

Of  the  abundance  of  Marble  in  New  York,  some 
idea  may  be  gained  when  it  is  stated  that  the  State 
geologists  announce  it  as  present  in  twenty-five  coun- 
ties of  the  State.  Most  of  the  white  variety  is  like 
that  of  Massachusetts — too  highly  granular  and  too 
slightly  coherent  to  sustain  heavy  pressure  or  to  en- 
dure our  variable  climate. 

In  Clinton  County,  near  Plattsburg,  a  jet  black 
Marble  is  found.  Columbia  County  produces  a  Do- 
lomite, which  is  much  esteemed.  Prof  Hitchcock 
thinks  that  if  worked  it  might  yield  as  fair  results  as 
the  beds  of  Egremont.  Near  Hudson,  in  Becraft's 
Mountain,  a  beautiful  grey  with  a  tint  of  red  is  found, 
which  resembles  the  Peak  of  Derbyshire  Marble.  It 
has  been  worked  a  little. 

Dutchess  produces  a  fine  white  like  the  Lee ;  and 
also  a  clouded  Marble  which  is  reported  durable. 
Essex  has  a  verd  antique — a  limestone  through  which 
green  serpentine  is  diffused.  County  abounds 

in  the  white  primitive.    Jefferson  and  St,  Lawrence^ 


APPENDIX. 


249 


though  very  little  explored,  show  some.  In  Lewis  a 
(lark  serpentine,  valuable  for  ornamental  purposes,  is 
found.  The  New  York  (Kingsbridge)  limestone 
crumbles  too  easily  for  building  purposes.  Niagara 
has,  near  Lockport,  a  variegated,'  reddish-brown  Mar- 
ble, which  is  full  of  organic  remains,  and  is  of  great 
beaut}^  It  has  been  used  somewhat  for  interiors  — 
Oneida  has  the  Trenton  limestone,  which  finishes 
black  and  also  some  greys.  Onondaga  has  a  grey 
crinoidal  limestone,  which  affords  a  Marble  scarcely 
excelled  by  any  of  the  sort  in  the  country  for  dura- 
bility, beauty,  and  the  fineness  of  its  polish.  None 
of  the  several  localities  found  in  Orange  County  are 
worked.  Putnam  has  both  white  and  colored  Mar- 
bles, and  a  serpentine  that  takes  a  good  polish.  Of 
the  black  Marble,  rare  in  Europe,  yet  of  which  some 
old  Spanish  palaces  were  built,  Mather,  says  there  is 
enouo-h  sound  and  free  from  cracks  in  Clinton  Couiitv 
to  supply  the  world.  Rockland  has  a  dove-colored 
and  a  verd  antique  that  takes  a  high  polish.  Ulster 
has,  in  the  vicinity  of  Eondout  and  Kingston,  several 
beds  of  a  limestone  which  is  susceptible  of  a  high  pol- 
ish, that  will  some  day  turn  out  valuable  black  and 
dark-colored  Marbles.  But  the  black  Marbles  of 
Glen  Falls,  Warren  County,  extensively  in  use  for 
mantels,  take  an  unrivalled  polish.  Though  the  supply 
is  ine.^haustible,  this  article  gri3ws  more  and  more 
costly  iti,  the  m-iC'v'it,  owing  , to  the  !ii/nonscd  difFi^uily 
of  getting  it  out,    1  here  are,  nowever,  two  huiulreci 

}         i     )  3    y         jjJJjJ        J  J 


250 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS^  MANUAL. 


and  seventy-five  saws  now  running  in  the  mills  of  that 
village.  V/arren  County  possesses,  too,  some  verd 
antique,  some  fine  grey  Marble,  and  some  veined  like 
the  Egyptian ;  except  that  the  veins  are  white  and 
grey  where  the  Egyptian  is  yellow.  It  is,  perhaps, 
more  diSicult  to  work  than  the  imported.  Washing- 
ton County  has  a  good  clouded  article.  Westchester 
abounds  in  the  Dolomite.  Fair  specimens  may  be 
seen  in  the  New  York  Custom  House,  the  Brooklyn 
Exchange,  the  front  of  Stewart's  store,  of  the  St. 
Nicholas  Hotel,  and  of  the  store  on  the  southwest  cor- 
ner of  Broadway  and  Warren  streets  in  New  York. 
Marbles  of  inferior  importance  are  found  (grey)  in 
Albany^  (black)  in  Schoharie^  and  in  Otsego^  Sara- 
toga^ Seneca,  and  Wayne. 

Pennsylvania  has  many  quarries.  The  Marble  so 
much  used  in  Philadelphia  is  from  Chester  County. 

Maryland  produces  a  white  from  her  "  Alum 
Limestone;"  and  at  the  foot  of  the  Blue  Bidge  and 
on  the  Potomac  banks  a  beautiful  pudding-stone  pol- 
ished specimens  of  which  may  be  found  in  the  pillars 
of  the  House  of  Bepresentatives  at  Washington.  The 
colors  are  very  striking. 

There  is  a  good  deal  of  Marble  in  Virginia^  but  it 
has  been  little  quarried. 

Marble  is  found  in  Laurens  and  Spartanburg  Dis- 
tricts of  Souih  Carolina. 

.  Sope  qu^auries^.h^rve  .been  wprk^^  jin  .Ch^rpkee  Co., 
Georgia.       o« ;  ;    ^-t     ;   «  ^  i;       Vi  ' » 


APPENDIX. 


251 


Beautiful  varieties  exist  in  Alabama^  "near  the  heads 
of  the  rivers,  and  particularly  on  the  Cahawba  and 
in  Talladega  County,  Some  of  these  are  buff  colored 
and  filled  with  organic  remains  ;  some  are  white  and 
crystalline,  and  some  black.  In  Coosa  County  fine 
statuary  Marble  is  said  to  be  found.  From  this  lo-. 
cality  most  of  the  tombstones  and  furniture  Marble 
used  in  the  Southern  part  of  the  State  are  brought. 

In  Ohio^  Indiana^  and  Illinois  little  pains  have 
yet  been  taken  to  develope  the  mineral  building  ma- 
terials. 

Kentucky  y^xQi^ViQ,^^^  an  inferior  Marble,  which,  though 
susceptible  of  a  high  polish,  is  too  brittle  for  heavy 
use. 

Tennessee  contains  several  beautiful  varieties.  A 
variegated  one  found  near  Nashville,  lately  brought 
to  light,  is  likely  to  come  into  the  New  York  market. 

Wisconsin^  in  its  northern  part,  has  Marbles  whose 
prevailing  color  is  light  pink,  traversed  by  veins  of 
deep  red.  It  has  others  of  blue  and  dove  color  hand- 
somely veined  ^  but  none  of  them  are  worked  to  any 
great  extent.  • 

Veined  and  crystalline  Marbles  are  found  in  Mis- 
wiiri.  Arkansas  is  well  supplied,  Iowa  is  not  desti- 
tute of  the  less  valuable  variety.  Marble  has  been 
fouDd  in  Marin  County,  and  in  some  other  parts  of 
California.  In  several  States  which  we  have  not 
named  the  native  Marbles  have  been  employed  for 
building  purposes,  for  tombstones,  &c.  ;  but  in  our 


252 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS^  MANt^AL. 


list  we  have  embraced  the  more  important  localities 
and  the  varieties  best  known. 

But  notwithstanding  the  abundance  of  our  home 
supply,  very  much  of  that  used  for  interior  ornamen- 
tation is  imported.  According  to  the  Report  of 
Secretary  Guthrie,  the  value  of  the  unmanufactured 
Marble  of  foreign  production  imported  to  this  country 
during  the  year  ending  June,  1855,  was  $232,385. — 
From  this  item  we  have  only  to  deduct  $944,  the 
value  of  the  foreign  unmanufactured  Marble  exported 
by  us  during  the  same  time,  to  discover  just  how  great 
was  our  consumption  of  the  foreign  Marbles.  How 
much  of  our  own  Marble  has  gone  abroad  we  cannot 
say — the  item  not  having  been  separately  reported. 

This  large  importation  of  the  article  may  be  owing 
to  three  causes.  For  some  purposes  the  foreign  may 
be  a  better  article,  or  if  not  better,  it  is  better  known. 
Then  there  is  still  some  prejudice,  perhaps,  in  favor  of 
an  imported  material,  on  the  part  of  the  uninformed,  to 
which  dealers  must  cater.  But  there  is  a  stronger 
reason  than  all  in  the  fact  that  the  lower  rates  of 
wages  abroad  enable  the  imported  article  to  be  fur- 
nished far  cheaper  than  that  of  equal  excellence  which 
lies  at  our  very  doors.  Thus  when  the  Italian  statuary 
Marble  was  selling  in  New  York  at  $2.50  to  $3.00 
per  cubic  foot,  that  from  Rutland,  Vt.,  cost  $4.50. — 
It  is,  more  than  anything  else,  a  question  of  expense, 
whether  foreign  or  domestic  Marbles  shall  be  used. — • 
We  get  none  finer  abroad  than  we  have  at  home.  We 


APPENDIX. 


253 


have  no  need  to  send  to  Carrara  for  the  capitals  to 
our  columns,  nor  to  Ireland  for  black  Marble,  if  we 
can  afford  to  buy  the  best.  And  when  capital  and 
the  inventive  arts  are  more  directed  to  the  business 
of  geUing  out  and  manufacturing  Marble,  it  will 
doubtless  seem  as  simple  to  send  abroad  for  it  as  it 
v/ould  to  imitate  our  fathers,  and  bring  tomb-stones 
ready  made  from  Wales,  and  brick  from  Holland. 

Our  variable  climate  is  very  hard  upon  jpoor  Mar- 
bles. Our  hard  rains  and  severe  frosts  are  sure  to 
search  out  their  fissures  and  flaws,  and  from  them  be- 
gin their  slow  work  of  disintegration.  Many  Marbles, 
indeed,  when  properly  polished,  will  answer  for  slabs 
to  face  or  veneer  brick  houses  with,  which  in  the  block 
would  not  answer  at  all. 

In  a  late  number  of  Silli man's  Journal^  Walter 
R.  Johnson,  Esq.,  details  some  suggestive  observa- 
tions upon  the  ability  of  different  building  materials 
to  endure  pressure,  founded  on  experiments  that  have 
been  recorded.  Noticing  that  the  Washington  Monu- 
ment at  Baltimore,  which  was  begun  only  in  1815, 
already  exhibited  fractures  across  whole  blocks  in  it, 
he  directs  his  special  attention  to  the  "  Alum  Lime- 
stone" of  which  it  is  built,  and  which  is  nearly  allied 
to  the  Sing  Sing  Marble  of  which  Grace  Church  in 
New  York  City  is  constructed.  In  conclusion,  for 
purposes  of  comparison,  he  arranges  the  materials 
experimented  on  in  the  order  of  their  relative  value, 
as  determined  by  their  power  to  resist  crushing — 


254 


THE  MARBLE  WORKERS'  MANUAL. 


The    Alum  Limestone"  standing  at  .  100 
^'    Stockbridge  Marble  stood  at  96 
Italian  "  "  135 

East  Chester  (N.Y.)  171 
"    White  Statuary  "  199 

Its  true  position,"  he  says,  "in  the  scale  of  strength 
among  building  stones,  as  proved  both  by  Dr.  Page 
and  Mr.  Wyatt,  is  among  the  sandstones,  not  among 
granites,  marbles,  or  compact  limestones."  Yet  this  is 
the  material  out  of  which  the  Washington  National 
Monument  is  building,  and  of  it,  or  of  a  still  feebler 
Marble,  as  marked  in  the  table^  very  many  edifices  have 
been  erected,  which  their  authors  and  architects  flat- 
tered themselves  were  their  enduring  monuments. 

When  (in  1824)  the  American  Museum  was  to 
be  erected,  in  New  York,  so  great  was  the  prejudic-e 
against  Marble,  as  a  building  material,  that  it  was 
necessary  to  pardon  a  man  at  Sing  Sing  prison  to  get 
the  contract  closed.  Now — and  the  fact  shows  how 
it  has  grown  into  popular  favor — there  are  on  Broad- 
way, between  the  Bowling  Green  and  Union  Square, 
twenty-six  Marble  fronts ;  in  Liberty  Street,  sixteen ; 
in  Cortlandt,  Wall  and  Dey  Streets,  each  five ;  in 
Maiden  Lane,  six ;  in  Fulton,  Vesey  and  Murray 
Streets,  each  seven ;  in  Barclay  Street,  eight ;  in 
Chambers  Street,  ten ;  and  in  Warren  Street,  eigh- 
teen, besides  as  many  others  in  many  other  streets 
throughout  the  city. 

The  last  census  (of  1850)  does  not  distinguish  be- 


APPENDIX. 


255 


tween  the  Marble  and  the  Stone  Cutters;  still  it  may 
aid  somewhat  in  getting  an  idea  of  the  extent  to  which 
Marble  is  wrought,  if  we  annex  the  following  table. 

Number  of  Stone  and  Marble  Cutters  in  the 
United  States  in  1850. 


Maine,   522 

New  Hampshire   365 

Vermont,   265 

Massachusetts,   2,320 

Rhode  Island,   297 

Connecticut,   514 

New  York   3,443 

New  Jersey,   219 

Pennsylvania,   2,114 

Delaware,   9 

Maryland,   381 

District  of  Columbia,   128 

Virginia,   427 

North  Carolina,   32 

South  Carolina,   75 

Georgia,   60 

Florida,.   12 

Alabama,   52 

Mississippi,   4 

Louisiana,   71 

Texas,   4 

Arkansas,   24 

Tennessee,   151 

Kentucky,   226 

Ohio,   1,453 

Michigan,   64 

Indiana,   248 


256  THE  MARBLE  WORKERS'  MANUAL. 


Illinois,   204 

Missouri,   270 

Iowa,   69 

Wisconsin,.   34 

G  California,   2 

TERRITORIES. 

New  Orleans,   1 

Oregon,   2 

Utah,   24 


Total,  14,076 


Date  Due 

 ^  : 

f 


1; 


